


Maybe This Summer

by hutchabelle



Category: Hunger Games Series - All Media Types, Hunger Games Trilogy - Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games (Movies)
Genre: Age Difference, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst and Romance, Eventual Romance, F/M, Panem, Romance, Summer, Summer Camp, Summer Love, Summer Romance, Summer Vacation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-24
Updated: 2020-07-21
Packaged: 2021-02-28 19:14:58
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 18
Words: 54,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23292298
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hutchabelle/pseuds/hutchabelle
Summary: Katniss Everdeen needed a vacation. On a whim, she reserved three months at Panem Resorts in North Carolina. She expected to spend her time recovering from the recent death of her sister, exploring the nearby nature reserve, and reminiscing about happier times. What she didn’t foresee was bumping into Peeta Mellark, one of Panem’s most valued employees, during his early morning run. Neither did she think she’d grow to admire him when she’d hated him from first sight, but his killer smile and gorgeous blue eyes had a way of breaking down the walls she’d built around her heart. Maybe this summer she’ll finally get what she’s always deserved.
Relationships: Katniss Everdeen & Peeta Mellark, Katniss Everdeen/Peeta Mellark
Comments: 422
Kudos: 274
Collections: Fandom Trumps Hate 2019





	1. Winding Road (Prologue)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Ldyglfr62](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ldyglfr62/gifts).



A canopy of trees shaded the ribbon of asphalt as Katniss Everdeen sped along the winding country road. She hadn’t been there in ages, two decades passing since the last time her mother requested time off from work and bundled her daughters into the car and took them on vacation. She’d chosen the same place for nostalgic reasons and was determined to find something to smile about during her time at Panem this summer. She needed that.

Things hadn’t gone too well for her over the past few years. Her mother and she had almost no relationship anymore—not since her younger sister Prim passed away—and it was hard for Katniss to care about much of anything anymore. She still had her best friend Gale Hawthorne and his wife Madge, but otherwise, she felt more alone than not. When her boss noticed her increased stress levels and a few minor mistakes in her data that could have been much worse, he ordered her to take some time off and center herself before coming back to work. She should be grateful he hadn’t fired her, and she was, but she also had no idea how to fill her time without spending it in the lab at West Virginia University.

Katniss didn’t like to sit still, and the weeks had loomed before her when she sat alone in her empty house. On a whim one night, she flipped through an old photo album she’d taken from her sister’s place after her funeral. On the third page, she stopped, troubled by the happy smiles jumping off the page and making her heart hurt. After a sleepless night, she maxed out a credit card booking three months—from Memorial Day to Labor Day—at the resort. She needed something. Maybe, just maybe, this was it.

“I wish you were with me, Little Duck.”

Her voice echoed in the empty car, but if she tried really hard, she could almost hear her sister answer.

_I wish I was, too. We had so much fun the last time._

“We did, didn’t we?” Katniss chuckled. “You remember that little girl we made friends with? Rue, I think her name was. You two were so alike. Both tiny and sneaky. You used to slink out into the night and meet up with her. I never could catch you, but I knew you were doing it. Mom never did figure it out—or believe me.”

She saddened at the memory. “You were always her favorite.”

_Of course, I was. I’m the baby! Was the baby._

“You’ll always be the baby, Prim. No matter how old we get.”

_And you’ll always be my hero. The big sister who can do no wrong, who can slay dragons and bullies alike. The one who protected me all her life and made everything that much better when I was still with you._

“I couldn’t protect you from that.” Her voice broke on the last word, and she heard Prim agree.

_No, you couldn’t. No one could._

“I should have been able to do it.”

_You should stop blaming yourself._

“Maybe someday.”

_Maybe someday. Maybe this summer._

Her smile faded as her sister’s voice trailed into silence, and Katniss shook herself and looked at the GPS. Prim was gone, and they hadn’t seen or talked to Rue since that one summer twenty years ago. She wasn’t thirteen anymore. She was thirty-three, a professional agro-botanist working in a grant-funded lab at a major research university. She didn’t have a sister anymore, and she certainly wasn’t going to encounter either one of the young girls dancing in her memories at the resort this summer.

Still…she wanted something more than what she had. Why did the past pull at her so hard?

“Just a little bit of time. That’s all you need,” she muttered to herself, unsure if she was trying to convince herself or merely fill the quiet. When her phone rang, she cursed as she was jerked from her internal dialogue and jerked the wheel before righting the vehicle and pressing down on the brake.

“Hello?”

“Hey, Catnip,” Gale rumbled from the other end. “How’s the drive?”

“Terrible,” she snapped and narrowed her eyes when he chuckled.

“I’m sure it isn’t that bad. You should be almost there by now unless you stopped every five minutes to take soil samples.”

“Well, fuck. I should have stopped every five minutes to take soil samples. Why didn’t I think of that?”

“I’m sure you’ll work that in some once you’re there. Ferns, leaves, bark, soil. You’re a super nerdy scientist through and through. You picked that place for a reason, Kat, and it’s not just because you and your sister had a good time there back when you were teenagers.”

“You don’t know me,” she grumbled but had to admit he was right. She was hoping to get some work done while she was there, despite strict orders to leave the lab back at the university. A real scientist always observed, and if she happened to do that through a microscope that just happened to be in her backseat…well, then, that was just part of the charm of spending her summer at a resort surrounded by a nature preserve called The Woods.

“I know you better than you know yourself,” he retorted. “That’s also why Madge and I booked a cabin next to yours for the week of the Fourth until mid-July. Thought you might be ready for some company by then, and Madge loves getting out of the city for time by the pool. I figure you two can have some girl time, and then I’ll steal you away for nature walks and the like.”

She was so pleased she couldn’t quite stop the smile from tugging at the corners of her mouth. Unwilling to admit her glee, she joked, “Fine. You do know me. And Gale…”

“Yeah?”

“Thank you.”

She was serious, and he knew it. He’d been there through everything—her father’s death when she was eleven, her mother’s snap with reality, Prim’s diagnosis and demise, her own depression as she mourned and floundered. Gale was a godsend friend who shouldered her burdens without making her feel like she owed him. The fact that he’d married her only other real friend solidified his presence in her life in a way that made her grateful that he cared about her and relieved he respected her independence. She hated owing anybody anything, and she especially didn’t like taking anything from strangers.

“You’re welcome,” he answered gruffly. “Text me when you get there, and try to relax a little bit, okay? You really do deserve some time to yourself. You’ve never had time to grieve properly.”

“I mourned Prim,” she reminded him, but that wasn’t all he meant.

“Your father, your mom, Prim, all of it.”

“Yes, all of it. That’s enough, Gale.”

“I’ll talk to you soon, Catnip. Safe rest of the trip.”

“Goodbye, Gale.”

She hung up and checked the screen again. Two more miles, and then she’d take a left into the nature preserve. Just past that was the entrance to the resort’s lodge, and she was ready to be there. Ready to take a shower and get the road off her skin and hair. She wanted a nap and a good dinner before escaping into the book she hadn’t quite managed to finish before leaving on the trip.

When she turned the corner, she flipped off the air conditioner and rolled down the front windows. A warm, humid breeze whipped through the car until she slowed to the requisite 35 miles per hour speed limit. The hybrid motor was practically silent, and she could hear birds chirping to each other as she passed under the natural awning of oak, ash, and maple trees. It was absolutely beautiful, and her heart rate slowed a little as she meandered along the lane that led to her summer escape.

Excitement coursed through her, and she tamped down the tingling sensation that something life-defining awaited her in the next three months.

“I miss you, Prim. If only you were here to share this with me,” she whispered and listened to the wind rustle through the trees.

_Maybe I am_ , came the silent reply.


	2. Welcome to Panem

Suddenly, Katniss was there. She steered the car up the long driveway marked by a large sign (almost the size of a billboard) announcing the entrance to the resort. It looked almost exactly the same as it had during her teenage years, although many of the buildings had been freshly painted and updated. Clearly, the owners had taken great care to upgrade the facilities and maintain the grounds in a careful blend of manicured and natural. She recognized the activities building and lodge to her right and the cave where she’d hidden and scared her sister the summer they vacationed here across the way. The beach and swimming area were carefully marked, and a dock beckoned those who wanted to sunbathe after a quick dip in the blue water.

Panem Lake sparkled brightly, and she envied the swimmers and kayakers who speckled the surface. Several canoes littered the beach just waiting for someone to take them for a spin. A large deck with a massive kidney shaped pool dominated the area just to the right of the lodge, and she noticed the number of tanned, thin women lounging with drinks in their hands. A few families scrambled toward the entrances to the hiking trails and pockets of other people were engaged in various activities. It looked like the ideal setting to while away the next few months.

Except she was alone. She had no family besides Gale and his wife, and they weren’t blood relatives. Not that they necessarily had to be, but she yearned for something to call her own. She hadn’t dated for so long, she couldn’t remember what it was like to be in a relationship, and sex was so far a distant memory, she wasn’t sure she still knew what it felt like to have a man inside her. How long had it been? Months, definitely. Maybe years. If she couldn’t remember, she realized, it had been much too long.

“God, that’s depressing,” she muttered and racked her brain trying to picture the contents of her suitcase. Had she packed her vibrator? Surely, she had. She didn’t expect to find anyone to sleep with here, so she might as well enjoy the privacy of her own hotel room—cabin—whatever it was she’d reserved—during her extended stay. Silicone and batteries had yet to disappoint her, which was much different than her previous sexual partners. Not that there had been many of them, but a few were adequate and two were downright terrible.

Pulling into the parking lot, she stopped her car, squared her shoulders, and pushed the unwanted thoughts from her mind. She had arrived and was determined to make the most of the time, no matter how much she’d rather be back at her job, in her lab, surrounded by samples, the fresh smell of dirt, and carefully controlled humidity. Or locked in a cabin with a man hung like a horse with a penchant for oral sex. Either way. She wasn’t terribly picky.

Grabbing her wallet, she chuckled as she stepped from the car and headed to the front desk. The lodge was much bigger than she remembered, a combination of glass, rock, and wood that blended seamlessly with the environment and made it feel protected from the elements and part of nature itself. Massive wooden beams propped up the cathedral ceiling that sported several skylights. The openings allowed the early afternoon sun to dapple the plush moss green carpet. Her feet sank into the pile as she crossed to the enormous reception area where a young woman in her mid-twenties stood waiting with a ready smile.

“Welcome to Panem. I’m Annie. How can I help you?”

Annie’s green eyes sparkled, and Katniss couldn’t help but envy the auburn locks that waved over the woman’s shoulders in riotous curls. Her creamy skin was speckled with tiny freckles that only highlighted the golden streaks in her hair. Prim had always wanted strawberry blonde hair, and the lighter shade in Annie’s was exactly the right color.

“I’m Katniss Everdeen. I’m checking in for the next several weeks.”

“Yes, Ms. Everdeen. Cabin 12 is what I’m showing for your extended stay. It’s one of our more private spaces in the resort, and we are delighted you’re here with us for such a long vacation. Let me just double check one thing for you…”

Katniss shifted uneasily, uncertain what Annie could be checking. She’d been careful to reserve one of the more remote spots of the resort (as far as she could decipher from the map), and she hoped nothing would change that now at check-in.

“Yes, there it is,” the receptionist said with a wide smile. “I was just reviewing your amenities since you’re going to be with us for an extended period of time. Cabin 12 is equipped with a chef’s kitchen, a small private beach, and a jacuzzi. Feel free to use all these to your satisfaction. If there’s any issue at all, please let us know, and we’ll deal with it immediately.”

“Oh,” she mumbled. “Oh, that’s wonderful. I hadn’t realized, although I’m not much of a cook.”

“Not to worry. Our chefs are wonderful, and one of our employees bakes the most delicious pastries, cakes, and cookies in the world. They’re all very talented, and we offer delivery to the cabins for breakfast and some dinners if you’re unable to join us in the dining hall.”

Stunned at the service, Katniss nodded her head slowly. “Thank you so much.”

“It’s no problem, Ms. Everdeen. You booked at just the right time. Our summer special prices ended just after you made your reservation, but you snagged some of the best lodging at Panem,” Annie assured her with a warm smile. “Can I get someone to assist you with your luggage? It’s complimentary, of course.”

“No, no. That’s fine. I’m… Actually, yes. That would be lovely. I brought more than I probably should have, and I can’t really face unloading it all right now. I’m not much of a traveler, and it’s hard to pack for an entire summer.”

“Completely understandable, ma’am. Let me just call someone for you. He can escort you to your cabin and arrange things to your liking. Just one moment.”

Katniss nodded and waited quietly while Annie typed on her keyboard. The lodge was calm and serene, but it wasn’t empty. There were a few unoccupied tables in the lounge, and the patrons seemed relaxed and happy. Employees fluttered around the guests, and no one appeared too rushed or ridiculously idle. The entire experience so far had been calming and put her at ease.

“Ms. Everdeen?”

She turned quickly to face Annie again. “Yes?”

“This is Finnick Odair. He’ll be helping you to your room.”

Katniss gaped at the young man for several seconds until an arrogant grin split his face. “I get that a lot, ma’am. If you’ll follow me…”

She snapped her mouth closed and blushed furiously as he accompanied her to her car. Finnick was, by far, the most gorgeous man she’d ever seen with her own eyes. Tall and lanky with massive shoulders and biceps, shining auburn curls graced his beautiful face that held bedroom eyes the color of emeralds. His bronzed skin shone with a youthful glow, and his palm was warm as he helped her into her car.

“Welcome to Panem, Ms. Everdeen. I hope you’ll find your stay here pleasurable.”

“Katniss,” she gasped. “My name’s Katniss.”

“Katniss,” he agreed.

He savored the sound of her name, and she tingled at the care he took saying it. Still speechless, she watched as he popped something into his mouth and sucked on it. When he saw her eying him, he glanced over at her and asked, “Sugar cube?” She shook her head dumbly and watched the veins in his forearms as he steered her car to the far side of the resort.

“Cabin 12, huh?” he murmured while observing her carefully in a side glance. She felt every flicker of his gaze over her body, and she shivered at his familiarity. “Usually people with secrets reserve our private cabins. I bet you have a lot of secrets, Katniss. Have any that are worth my while?”

She chuckled at his obvious flirtation and ineffectual attempt at seduction and remembered the age gap between them. He was clearly significantly younger than her, and the way he talked demonstrated his immaturity. Sure, he was gorgeous, but she wasn’t in the mood to teach a younger man how to deal with a grown woman like her.

“Easy there, Odair,” she warned. “I’m just here to relax. You can stop your interrogation. Besides, if you try really hard, you can probably figure out my secrets all by yourself. Everyone else seems to know them before I do anyway.”

“Unfortunately, that’s probably true,” he said, his voice honeyed and decidedly seductive. She rolled her eyes at him and turned to stare at the trees. His guffaw surprised her, and she noticed out of the corner of her eye that his shoulders relaxed. “I knew you were sharp. The smart ones always resist me.”

“I have a feeling you don’t lose too much sleep over it.”

“See? Not just smart. Completely brilliant,” he quipped. “Here we are.”

She stared through the windshield and gasped at the sheer beauty of her home for the foreseeable future. “It’s lovely!” she cried before she flushed. Embarrassed at her enthusiasm with a stranger, she twisted her hands in her lap as he put the car into park.

“So happy you like it, Ms. Everdeen. Katniss, ma’am.” His grin was one of pure pleasure. “Let me just get your things.”

She nodded and allowed him to help her from the car. He quickly pulled a bag out of the backseat and opened the door to her cabin. Motioning for her to enter before him, she did and repressed an uncharacteristic happy squeal.

“You can put the bags down anywhere,” she mumbled as she floated from room to room. The cabin was small but comfortable with soft green walls and cherry hardwood floors. White trim surrounded large windows that allowed sun to stream in through the panels, and the back of the cabin opened through French doors onto a deck overlooking a little cove of the lake.

“That’s your private beach,” Finnick informed her as he set down the last of her suitcases in the bedroom and arranged her other belongings on the kitchen counter. “The stairs are just over there. Only a short flight down to the sand. It’s very secluded.”

“Thank you,” she murmured, drawn to the deck and the view there.

“Very secluded,” he repeated. “Perfect for skinny dipping, if you feel the urge.”

Her skin crawled, but she refused to react. She couldn’t get a read on him, and it bothered her more than she wanted to admit. Was he just a gorgeous young man who had trouble reigning in his arrogance, or did he really think his charm worked on a woman like her?

“If there’s anything else you need, ma’am, please don’t hesitate to ask. We’re here for your pleasure.” When she didn’t respond, he chuckled and added, “I’ll just let myself out. Your keys are on the table.”

It took several seconds for his words to register, and he was already out the door before she realized she should tip him. She fumbled in her wallet as he spoke into a two-way radio, and she rushed to the porch just as he bounded down the stairs to meet the golf cart that screeched to a halt at her driveway.

“Mellark, thanks for the lift back,” she heard him say to the blonde man behind the wheel, and she froze as he turned to glance in her direction. Deep blue eyes raked over her, and she grabbed her braid and tugged on it self-consciously. With a wink, he pulled away, and she stared after them—two handsome young men with enough youthful confidence to take the world by storm. Neither of whom realized familiarity was something to be earned, not expected. Both of whom made her feel desired in a way she hadn’t for a very long time.

“Do they grow them gorgeous and conceited here?” she muttered and turned to re-enter the cabin. She tossed the bills on the table and resolved to find Finnick later to tip him for his help. In the meantime, the deck called and, soon enough, so did the cool, blue water. The same blue as the eyes of the driver of the golf cart who’d piqued her interest with just the briefest look.

As she changed into her swimsuit, she pushed that from her mind. A thirty-three-year-old woman had no business thinking of anything other than what she’d planned from the start—relaxation, some nature work, and a lot of down time. And no skinny dipping.

With that, she opened the French doors and stepped into summer.

* * *

“You always get the good assignments, Odair,” Peeta Mellark teased as he headed the golf cart back to the lodge. “Must be because you’re dating the receptionist.”

“You keep Annie’s name out of your mouth, Mellark. She already thinks you’re perfect. That silver tongue of yours is kryptonite to women.”

Peeta chuckled, “Silver tongue. Is that what they’re calling it nowadays?”

“Don’t even joke about my girlfriend that way,” Finnick snapped. “I meant the way you can use words to romance the hell out of every woman in the world, not what you do to them in the bedroom.”

“Who needs a bedroom? Desks work just fine,” he joked and then laughed when Finnick shot him a dirty look. “As for words, that’s you, my friend. You, not me. I’m tongue-tied and mute with most women.”

“That’s not what Glimmer said when you two were dating. In fact, I think she might have sung your praises about the ways you used that tongue of yours on her.”

Peeta couldn’t help but grin. While he honestly lacked game with women, his ex-girlfriend had pursued him so hard during their senior year in college, he hadn’t had much of a choice but to give into her persistent attempts to get him alone. Despite her reputation of a tough girl, he’d found her kind and funny beneath her hard exterior, especially in her love for her twin brother Gloss. She’d also been amazing in bed and a rabid proponent of cunnilingus, which he’d practically majored in when they were together. They had chemistry, but there wasn’t much else holding them together. After graduation, he’d broken up with her. He’d been single since then. For 26 very, very, very long months. Over two years of celibacy. Too long. Long enough that one quick glance at the woman in Cabin 12 made blood rush to his groin. Thankfully, he was wearing very loose shorts that hid his chub, and it was strictly against rules to fraternize with guests.

“Don’t talk about Glim like that,” Peeta said, mirroring Finnick’s defense of Annie. “She was a great girlfriend.”

“But you broke up. Quite a while ago, in fact. Maybe it’s time to get back on the horse.”

“Women aren’t horses, Finn.”

“It’s a metaphor, Peet. Get back in the saddle. Get the boots knocking. Ride a cowgirl, or something like that.”

“You have got to stop,” he laughed. “I’m not interested in anyone here. Not really. It’ll have to wait.”

“New people come every day. Pun intended.”

“We can’t date the tributes, Finn,” he remarked, referring to new guests at Panem. Repeat visitors were nicknamed careers, and the lithe woman they’d just left definitely wasn’t one of those. He would have noticed her if she’d stayed at the resort during his employ. “Besides, I’ve worked with everyone here for the past seven years. It’s not in the cards this summer.”

“Rules are made to be broken, my dear boy. Be a rebel. Power to the people. Rage against the machine. You might like it.”

“Whatever,” Peeta muttered. “By the way, who was that you helped into Cabin 12? That’s a choice spot for so early in the season. Usually the careers get that place.”

“Katniss Everdeen is her name, and she’s definitely not a career. This is her first year here since she was a teenager, apparently. Not like those who come every summer and spend their lives around this resort. It’s nice to have some new blood around here.”

“Sure is.”

“And not bad looking either, is she?”

Peeta glanced sideways at his friend and narrowed his eyes at the smug look on Finnick’s face. “I hadn’t really noticed,” he said, sarcasm dripping from every word.

“I think you did.”

“I think you should butt out of my personal life.”

“Just don’t want that tongue of yours to get too out of practice. Other things should be stiff, but not your mouth.”

“Get out, Finn.”

“Seriously, Peet. How long’s it been? Annie and I want you to be happy.”

“I’m happy.”

“Bullshit. Bull. Shit. You love being in love. You’ve held a torch for a girl you saw from afar when you were five for two decades. Let the fantasy go and live in the real world.”

“You know, it’s not like I have her name tattooed on my biceps and stare at it in the mirror every day.”

“Is that because you don’t know her name or because you don’t have biceps to tattoo?”

“I hate you, Odair.”

“Gym later? I’ll help you work on your summer bod.”

Peeta laughed and shook his head. “You always have to have the last word, don’t you? I have a better six-pack than you do.”

“I don’t think so, sir,” Finnick hooted. “I’m a sea god, and you’re…”

“The god of bread?”

He grinned at Peeta and jumped from the cart. “You do have a bit of a gut. Thanks for the lift, Mellark. Just think about what I said.”

Peeta flipped him the bird and slammed on the gas. He couldn’t get away from his friend’s taunts quickly enough, and that bothered him. He didn’t usually allow his cold streak to affect him, but he’d recently turned twenty-five. At a quarter of a century, he was just starting to itch for something long-term. He’d always wanted kids, and the sheer number of families who’d already arrived this summer were a glaring reminder that he hadn’t had a date for almost two years.

He was young. He had time, but still. He was horny as hell with no prospects. And that dark-haired girl he’d spied on the beach so long ago… She’d captivated him. For twenty years, he hadn’t found anyone to push her from the back of his mind, although the new resident of Cabin 12 gave him distinctive sensation of déjà vu.

He knew he couldn’t date the guests, but there was nothing wrong with getting to know them, right? That was just good service, and Panem prided itself on catering to the whims of those who resided within its borders—to matter how long they were a guest. He wanted to be a good employee, so he’d keep his eyes open for opportunities to greet Katniss and welcome her. It was the least he could do for public relations at the resort. Maybe she’d give them a five-star review when the season ended. Maybe she’d give him one, too.

* * *

“Annie, darling,” Finnick drawled as he strolled across the lobby and toward his girlfriend, “we’ve got an assignment for the summer.”

“You’re an incorrigible flirt, Finnick Odair, and I’m waiting with bated breath to hear what devilish scheme you’ve concocted to torture one of our mutual acquaintances.”

“Not an acquaintance, gorgeous. Peeta.”

“Peeta Mellark?” she raised her eyebrows and considered her boyfriend for several moments before shaking her head. “He’s our friend. I have no desire to torture him.”

He leaned over the counter and stage-whispered, “He needs to get laid, and I think our new tribute is just the one to do it. Brunette, gray eyes, hair in a braid. Sound familiar?”

“That woman he paints…”

“Yes, _that_ woman,” Finnick crowed. “And it’s not some random figment of his imagination. He bases that series on a girl he saw here twenty years ago—what he thinks she’d look like today.”

Annie grinned at him. “He’s a hopeless romantic. It’s so precious.”

Finnick sighed and backed toward the door. “If I have to hear one more word about how perfect he is, I may vomit.”

“Take some lessons! You could learn something from him.”

She giggled when he blew her a kiss, and she turned to a family who’d just arrived.

“Welcome to Panem. I’m Annie. How can I help you today?”


	3. Nightmares

Peeta woke slowly and rolled onto his side. He’d scored art class duty that afternoon and no bakery, so he didn’t need to be ready for work until long past when his fellow workers vacated the barracks. His plan was to pretend to be asleep until he had the place to himself and then spend some quality time in the shower with his hand and a bar of soap.

He’d slept terribly the night before, his dreams full of fire and tortured screams. Monsters almost always tore at him while he slumbered, but the night before had been the worst he could remember for years. He needed the stress relief the solitude would afford him. Otherwise, he should give Dr. Aurelius a call. He was due for a checkup anyway. He could almost hear the conversation.

_“You know it’s not your fault, Peeta. You didn’t set the fire. You didn’t kill them.”_

_“No, but they’re still dead. My mother, father, and two brothers. All gone, and I’m still here.”_

_“It was faulty wiring. You weren’t home. You didn’t abandon them.”_

_“I did abandon them. I skipped curfew on purpose.”_

_“The fire wasn’t a result of skipped curfew. It’s not your fault.”_

_“I wasn’t there.”_

_“No, you weren’t. You got a second chance.”_

_“I don’t want a second chance. I’m tired of doing it all alone.”_

_“You’re not alone, Peeta. There are so many people who want to help you—sponsors who’ve helped you get this far.”_

Talking didn’t change anything, though. His family was gone, killed in a house fire that ripped through their home while they slept. He was an orphan at seventeen, and he hadn’t let go of the guilt he felt over his family’s death for the past eight years.

In the midst of his grief, he’d stumbled upon an advertisement for employment as summer help at Panem Resorts and, desperate for money, applied for the position. His extracurriculars as an artist, athlete, and baker impressed Plutarch Heavensbee, the director of operations at Panem, and he’d stayed on through undergrad and his graduate work. The pay was excellent, and he’d built a sizable nest egg to fund his entrance into the job market after one last year in school if he didn’t squander anything and saved his income for the next few months.

He needed to piss so bad, but the last thing he wanted to do was disturb anyone. He couldn’t sleep. Instead, Peeta grunted as he rubbed his bleary eyes and stumbled to the communal bathroom to relieve himself. Instead of trying to go back to sleep, he decided to take a run. Quietly, he crossed to his bunk and shucked his boxers for a pair of shorts and an old concert t-shirt he’d cut the sleeves off back during undergrad. He adjusted the tongue on his left shoe and tied the laces before slipping through the screen door. Outside the cabin, he stretched for a few minutes, enjoying the pull of his hamstrings as he touched his toes. When he was limber, he headed for the trail that ran along the lake.

In and out. His breath quickened as he found his stride. The familiarity of training relaxed him, even though it had been years since his high school wrestling days. He’d considered sticking with it in college by walking onto the team, but he’d found he couldn’t concentrate on much else than grieving his family in the months immediately following their deaths. Trying to pin an opponent didn’t seem remotely important in the wake of his own personal crisis.

His feet slapped on the dirt trail, and the barest hint of sunlight peeked over the tree line that framed the far side of the lake. It was still quiet, but in another few minutes, the birds would wake, and the rest of the resort would stir, too.

“Baker’s hours,” he huffed.

Since his home burned, along with the family business that was housed on the ground floor, he hadn’t needed to rise as early as when he’d helped his father. Still, he often did it voluntarily because it made him feel closer to the rest of the Mellarks. There was no monument or gravestone for him to visit. There hadn’t been any remains to bury. The early morning hours were the only time Peeta felt like he could feel their presence and was the best time to honor their memories.

The chirping began just as he rounded the bend closest to the numbered cabins, an area affectionately called “the district” by Panem’s employees. He had no idea why, but it had been that way for decades. He wasn’t one to challenge tradition or disturb guests, so he skirted Cabin 13 and ducked onto a little-known hiking trail that ran down to the lake’s shore. Mockingbirds and blue jays challenged each other as they woke and chattered back and forth.

“Ooooof!”

Peeta slammed into something and realized it moved. He wrapped his arms around it and dipped his shoulder to soften the blow as he fell. Grimacing when he hit the ground, he braced himself for impact. Instead, something warm and decidedly feminine landed on him with a very unladylike stream of curses.

Dazed, he cradled her to him—whoever she was. She bent her knee, and he grunted when it slid between his thighs and brushed against his crotch. His hands grazed a patch of skin on her back when her shirt shifted upward, and he swore he experienced an electric shock.

“Clumsy ass!” she yelped and pushed off him, her palms flattened against his chest. Perspiration moistened his shirt so the cotton clung to his pecs, and he hid a grin as her jaw slackened. She appreciated muscles, apparently, so he flexed ever so slightly.

It took only a few seconds for her to snap back to attention. Her eyes were an unusual color; light, but not blue, they were a delightfully smoky hue that flashed silver with irritation. A thick braid of mahogany brown hung in front of her left shoulder, and he gripped the gentle swell of her hips as she writhed atop him while attempting to disentangle herself.

“I’m sorry,” Peeta mumbled and helped her rock off him while protecting his groin. “I didn’t see you.”

“Well, that’s obvious,” she spat and slumped onto her derriere in the dirt. She sifted through a pile of jumbled plastic rectangles and glared at him as she straightened them into piles. “All my samples…ruined.”

“I’m sorry,” Peeta repeated. He propped himself on his elbow and waved to the mess. “What are those?”

“They’re slides!” When he shot her a confused look, she added, “For a microscope. I’m a scientist. I had a bunch of soil samples, and you ruined them.”

“You had soil samples on slides?” he asked, incredulous. “Wouldn’t tubes have worked better?”

“What do you know? You’re just a—” She broke off and stared at him. “Yeah, that probably would have worked better.”

Chuckling, he popped to his feet and reached down to her. She placed her hand in his, and he hauled her upright a little too enthusiastically. She brushed against him and recoiled quickly. He would have been offended if she wasn’t glancing at his legs beneath her eyelashes and her hand wasn’t still firmly grasped in his.

“I really am sorry, ma’am. I wasn’t expecting anyone else on this trail so early.” His mouth curved into his most charming grin, and he squeezed her palm gently. “I’m Peeta Mellark. Happy to serve you here at Panem.”

“Mr. Mellark,” she said curtly and pulled free. “I’m Ms. Everdeen. Cabin 12.”

“It’s Peeta, ma’am. Just Peeta, and your first name?”

She hesitated, and his heart hurt a little as he witnessed her internal struggle. He remembered that feeling so well; being afraid to open up to anyone, no matter how friendly; closing himself off to everyone because it hurt too much to feel anything other than icy cold numbness. She was wounded, but Panem was the perfect place to heal. Besides the money, it was why he continued to come back summer after summer.

“Katniss,” she finally whispered, and he offered a gentle smile.

“That’s a beautiful name for a—”

“Don’t!” she barked. “Don’t say it. There’s nothing more passé than ‘a beautiful name for a beautiful girl.’”

“I was going to say—”

“Beautiful woman, not girl,” she interrupted wryly. “No one could mistake me for a teenager anymore. Too many laugh lines.”

“Gorgeous,” he insisted. “I was going to say gorgeous. A beautiful name for an amazingly gorgeous woman.”

She blushed and then snorted. “You are hilarious,” she sputtered. “Smooth as silk and charmed the pants off about every woman who’s crossed your path, am I right?”

Wounded, he took a step back. “Not really, ma’am, no. I’m sorry I offended you. It won’t happen again. I’ll make sure to arrange for a proper apology through some comped services. Have a good morning.”

Without waiting for her response, he turned on his heel and sprinted toward his cabin. Gasping by the time he reached the building, he was relieved to find it empty. He kicked his shoes off and stripped before stomping to the showers where he turned the water to scalding and stepped under the spray. Frustrated, he forced the surprise encounter from his brain and concentrated on easing some tension.

The hot shower felt wonderful and eased his rapidly stiffening muscles. He’d been particularly edgy since his conversation with Finnick a few days prior, and he seemed adrift, unanchored in a way he hadn’t been for a long time.

He knew rubbing one out would help. No matter how much he tried to forget his chance meeting with Katniss, the memory of her body pressed to his sweaty chest drove blood to his groin until his erection jutted upward from the thatch of soapy blonde hair between his legs. Unwilling to suffer blue balls, he slickened his palm with soap and grasped himself.

“Shit,” he sighed and dropped his head back as he pumped his cock. Her lovely face flashed behind his closed eyes, and he could almost see her mouth closing over him as her eyes drooped shut, the shine of her spit coating his erection, her lips plump and pink against his skin. He groaned when he came, then rinsed himself and washed all thoughts of her in the warm spray. Wrapping a towel around himself, he collapsed back onto his bunk. A soft breeze wafted through the windows and dried his chest and shoulders then tucked his arm behind his head and stared at the ceiling. It wasn’t long before his eyes closed, and he was fast asleep.

* * *

Katniss watched him go and kicked herself for being so closed off and distant. The young man—Peeta, she reminded herself—had been nothing but apologetic and chivalrous after he’d slammed into her. It was an accident, and she’d overreacted. Probably because he was so damn attractive. And sweaty. And muscular. And charming. And… Lord, the guy was stunning, she realized as his tight ass disappeared into the trees.

“And a child,” she muttered as she gathered her slides and stomped back to her cabin. “You are a grown ass woman who does not need to lust after a baby. And he _works_ here! You are a mess.”

She was still disgusted that afternoon when she made her way to the dining room and sat down for a late lunch. When she’d reserved a cabin, she’d fully intended to make most meals in her own space, but the sous chef was fantastic. What she could get at the lodge was much better than her peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. If Katniss wasn’t careful, she’d pack on the pounds this summer—not that she couldn’t use a little more meat on her bones. Her appetite wasn’t much anymore. Not since Prim…

“Ms. Everdeen! How lovely to see you.” Annie, the receptionist, beamed at her, and Katniss smiled back. “Finnick, be a dear and see to Ms. Everdeen, would you? Maybe provide her with a list of available activities this afternoon. We have a wide variety of events ranging from outdoor activities to art classes. Our art instructor is marvelous, actually. If you’re at all artistic, you should check it out.”

“That sounds charming,” Katniss agreed but insisted, “Please call me Katniss. Ms. Everdeen is so formal.”

“It is, isn’t it?” a deep voice came from behind her. She turned to find the blonde jogger, clean and dressed in chinos and a cornflower blue polo that stretched across his chest, smirking at her. She remembered with flush that she’d withheld her name from him only a few hours before and realized how it must seem that she insisted others address her by her given name.

“Mr. Mellark,” she said with a nod.

“Peeta,” he retorted. “Finn, can you ask for a basket for me? I need to get to class. Set up takes longer at the beginning of the season.”

She’d been dismissed, and she tried hard not to be offended by his brusqueness.

“Sure, man. Just let me take care of our _guest_ first,” Finnick hissed.

“No need. Suddenly I don’t feel much like eating. I’ll just head back to my cabin. Thanks, anyway, Finnick. Annie. Mr. Mellark.”

“Peeta.”

“Goodbye, Mr. Mellark,” she snapped and turned on her heel. This time he could watch her leave.

* * *

“Niiiiiiiiiiiiice,” Finnick laughed. “Way to make an ass out of yourself, Peet. What the hell was that about?”

“Nothing.”

“That didn’t seem like nothing.”

“Drop it, Finn. I said it’s nothing. I bumped into her this morning. Literally. I was jogging and knocked her down. She went after me a little bit, and I didn’t react well.”

“You? Noooooooo…”

Peeta rolled his eyes and snarked, “You know what? Don’t worry about me. I’ll just go get my own food.”

“What a man, Annie! He’s getting his own food!” Finnick shook his head at Peeta’s retreating back and glanced at his girlfriend. “What’s up his ass?”

“Maybe he’s having a bad day,” she said quietly. “Excuse me, I should let you get back to work. Dinner at my cabin tonight?”

“Can’t wait.”

Pursing her lips, Annie left the dining room and stepped into the office. She compiled several flyers and brochures highlighting some of the resort’s most popular draws. She tucked them in her pocket and headed to find Peeta. He was slumped under a sycamore that leaned over the lake tearing his roll into pieces and tossing them to a family of ducks that swam in the shallows.

“Rough morning?” she asked softly. When he blinked up at her, she slid down and leaned against his shoulder. Silently, that sat together until she reached over and took his hand. “It’s going to be okay, you know.”

“I just let things get to me.”

“I know.”

“I didn’t mean to be rude to her.”

“I know that, too. You’re one of the kindest, most considerate people I’ve ever met.”

“I can’t afford to lose this job.”

“I don’t think that’s going to happen.”

“Really, Annie? What if she bitches to Plutarch? Or Haymitch? Or anyone else up the chain?” he said bitterly. “The number one rule of Panem is to behave like you’re being watched by the public at all times. The best advertising is the way we cater to our guests. We’re in a bubble here, and someone’s always watching. What if other staff heard? Oh, hell. What if Clove heard?”

“She didn’t,” Annie assured him. “Although, how she ever landed the hostess job is beyond me. The woman doesn’t have a diplomatic bone in her body, and she interacts with every person who goes through our dining room.”

“She must have slept with Cato.”

Annie snorted, but they both knew it was probably true. Cato oversaw the dining halls, room service, and snack bars at Panem. If food was involved, Cato called the shots, and he was just as snarky as Clove. The difference was Cato knew how to turn on the charm when he really wanted, and he was a stickler for treating guests so well they looked forward to returning year after year. He called it “fattening them for the slaughter,” whatever that meant. For some reason, Cato and Clove seemed to be partners, and almost everyone assumed they were in some sort of sexual relationship.

“You could just apologize again for knocking into her; offer to do something nice because she’s a guest.”

“Why did I let her get under my skin? I don’t even know her!”

“Maybe it’s not her. Maybe it’s you.” When he rolled his eyes, she asked, “When’s the last time you talked to Dr. Aurelius?”

“It’s been a while,” he admitted.

“You don’t have to be strong all the time, and definitely not all alone. I’m here for you.”

“I know, Annie.”

“And Finnick loves you. That’s why he gives you so much shit.”

Peeta smiles ruefully. “He does that.”

“I put together some stuff. Sleep on it, and then go apologize to Ms. Everdeen.”

“Katniss,” he joked.

“That’s right. Her name is Katniss, and it seems like she’s hurting, too. Maybe you can help each other heal.”

“She’s a guest.”

“I was, too. Finnick didn’t let that stop him, did he?”

“Not even remotely.”

“Just think about it.”

Peeta didn’t answer, but he was deep in thought when she rose and headed back to the lodge. Whether or not he knew it, Peeta needed to stop relying on himself so much, and Katniss was as lost as anyone Annie had ever met. They’d be good for each other, and there was nothing Annie craved more than a happy ending.


	4. Reaping Day

Katniss pressed back on her heels and propped her elbows on her knees. Wiping the sweat from her forehead, she smiled triumphantly at the array of leaves, flowers, and bark she’d collected in the hours since she’d roused at dawn and stepped into the natural wonder of The Woods. She wiped her hands on the front of her t-shirt and narrowed her eyes at the words on her chest. “You reap what you sow” gleamed in neon red, and she considered burning the piece of clothing once she returned to her room. She hated the saying, and memories from that science camp were one of the worst she had from her lifetime of exploring the natural world.

More than anything, she fundamentally disagreed with the message. She hadn’t reaped what she’d sown, and neither had Prim. Her sister didn’t deserve what she got—a cancer diagnosis at 25 and death two years later. Katniss hadn’t asked to lose her father at eleven and take over raising herself and Prim as a consequence. She’d been a child. No one “deserved” to be punished for something they hadn’t done, and she resented the implication that every experience was part of a huge cosmic plan that somehow made sense.

Nothing about losing her sister made sense. There was no hidden meaning. Prim was dead, and it sucked. Platitudes about her being “in a better place” or “everything happens for a reason” made her want to scream, and she’d cut out several acquaintances who’d attempted to comfort her that way during the days following Prim’s memorial service. Maybe that wasn’t fair, but she wasn’t very good with friends anyway.

Perhaps burning the shirt was the answer. Fire seemed to be a good enough weapon to destroy it and watch something else rise from the ashes. At least that had been her reasoning when she’d agreed to cremate Prim instead of burying her, even though it almost killed her to acquiesce to her sister’s decision.

“I don’t want to be shoved underground in a dark box, Katniss. Not like dad. Anything but that,” Prim had announced from her hospital bed after the final round of chemo had proven ineffective. Katniss understood the fear. Her beloved father’s death in a mine explosion a mile underground had haunted them both during their childhood and adolescent years. She’d concentrated on that when she realized that would mean reducing her baby sister to ashes.

She was still waiting for something good to rise from them. To sow what she reaped. To find the hope for the future and realize that things can be good again.

“Well, you’re just full of cheer today, Katniss Everdeen,” she chided herself and put the items in her bag. “Look what you accomplished. Look what you reaped…”

Today marked the end of ten days at Panem. She’d spent the good part of the past week avoiding the other guests and sticking close to her cabin until she’d finally admitted to herself she was escaping something else entirely. She didn’t want to run into Peeta again, not after her over-reaction and abhorrent behavior during their brief encounters. She was being ridiculous, but today marked the end of that. She’d go to the pool and mingle with the rest of the world. Maybe she’d even meet someone, and if she happened to run into Peeta, perhaps she’d apologize for her behavior. And maybe she wouldn’t.

She only had two swimsuits, one a more practical halter that was still wet from her frequent dips in the lake at Cabin 12’s private beach. The other was much more revealing, a coral, peachy, orange-ish type of bikini that Madge insisted she buy the last time she’d been dragged to the store to shop. She had to admit, it looked amazing against her olive undertones, so she changed into it, slipped on a robe, and grabbed a towel and book.

The pool area was fairly empty for the early afternoon, so she took a quick dip to rinse away the traces of her morning excursion into the woods. Once she cooled down, she settled onto a lounge chair on the far side of the deck and started to read. Lost in the book, she didn’t stir until another guest plunked down next to her.

“Johanna Mason,” the other woman introduced herself and pulled down her sunglasses to take in Katniss’ lithe form. “Nice suit. You could fill out your top a little more, couldn’t you?”

The unwarranted familiarity and insolence startled Katniss so much she had to laugh. She should have been offended, but the other woman had a way of breaking down the walls she’d carefully constructed to keep her distance from others. Before she knew it, she knew quite a bit about her new friend.

Johanna, a recent divorcée who enjoyed spending her ex-husband’s money, was everything Katniss was not—confident, brash, outspoken, and, most of all, memorable. She drank too much, talked a little too loud, and had an irrepressible appetite for sex. She freely admitted she loved visiting Panem to see what new “eye candy” had been hired for the season and then set her sights on a particular one at the beginning of the summer. Her victory came if she snagged the younger man and kept him on the string for her entire visit.

“His name is Darius,” she mock whispered to Katniss. “He’s much kinder than I usually go for, but he’s a redhead, and his enthusiasm matches his hair color. Insatiable and eager. Always willing to take lessons. Always willing to—”

“Can I get you ladies something?” Finnick stood before them with a wide grin on his handsome face. “You’re looking so comfortable and chummy. I’d hate for you to have to disturb yourselves to get anything else from the bar.”

“Cosmo,” Johanna replied, “and keep them coming. My new friend Katniss and I are getting acquainted. How’s Annie, and where’s your little blonde friend who makes me drool and refuses all my advances? Bread boy, I call him, because he has a loaf in the front and buns in the back.”

Finnick grinned and shook his head. “Right away, Ms. Mason. Annie’s wonderful, as always, and Peeta’s… Well, Peeta’s working through some things. He’s had a rough start to the season.”

Katniss stared in horror at Finnick and swallowed hard. She hadn’t realized until just this moment what a small world Panem was. Everyone seemed to know everyone, and the young man who’d run into her while jogging was known and seemingly admired by this brash older woman. Was Katniss the reason his summer started out less than ideal? No, she decided. She didn’t have that kind of power over anyone, but she vowed to be much nicer to him when she saw him next.

Finnick was as good as his word. The cosmos appeared at their seats whenever either finished one. They drank all afternoon. The alcohol loosened her up, and before she knew it, they were ogling the pool boys and dissecting her non-existent sex life like old girlfriends.

“You should find yourself a little something here,” Jo, which she insisted on being called, argued. “Technically, it’s not allowed, but fraternization is rampant here. There are only a few who refuse, and I think that’s only because they haven’t found the right guest yet.”

“I wouldn’t feel right,” Katniss insisted, but Jo snorted.

“You’ll feel right if you find someone who knows how to do it. Come on, woman. Live a little. Let go of all that angst, and immerse yourself in something. Or let someone immerse himself right into you,” she said with an overexaggerated wink.

The sun dipped lower in the sky as the afternoon passed, and she agreed to eat dinner with Jo on the deck. The food helped, but by the time Katniss stumbled back to her cabin as the sky filled with a gloriously majestic sunset, she was fairly drunk. She tripped on the steps and would have fallen if a figure hadn’t popped out of the shadows and caught her.

“Easy there.” The words rumbled through his chest, and she felt them against her back. She wasn’t surprised in the slightest to see dark blue eyes filled with concern when she turned to look at him.

“Mr. Mellark,” she sighed. “Of course.”

* * *

“Peeta,” he insisted. Katniss was pliant against him. A lazy smile graced her lovely face, and her eyes were soft and unfocused. She smelled like sunscreen and booze, and the scent was oddly erotic. “Are you alright, Ms. Everdeen?”

“I’m fine, and my name is Katniss.” She slurred her words, and Peeta chuckled at the look on her face when she realized it.

“Can I help you inside?”

“Suuuuuuuuuuuuuure,” she drawled and smacked him on the chest. She poked at him a few times and blurted, “You have great muscles.”

“Um, thank you, ma’am. Here we go.” He shifted her and looped her arm over his shoulder to help her up the stairs. She produced the key, and he swung open the door and ushered her into the main room. She smiled weakly at him as she sank onto the sofa and leaned her head back on the cushion. He hesitated for a moment, but he needed to get out his apology before he lost his nerve, even if she wasn’t in the right state to fully understand.

“Katniss, I just wanted to apologize for my behavior last week. Here at Panem, guests are our first priority, and I was incredibly rude. I should have come to you right away, but I needed some time to work through some things first. I really am very contrite about my behavior. It was unacceptable.”

She didn’t respond. The silence stretched over a minute and then two before he tried again. She interrupted immediately.

“I was equally awful to you, Mr. Mellark, and I’m sorry. It’s been a rough year or so.”

“How many times am I going to have to ask you to call me Peeta?”

She opened her eyes and raked her eyes up and down his form. The gray heated to molten, and he shifted under her gaze. “Peeta,” she murmured and closed her eyes again.

“Can I get you anything before I leave, ma’am? Water or something?”

Her lips quirked, and she opened her eyes and sat up. “No. No, that’s okay. Only… Do you think maybe you could stay with me for a little while? Until the world stops spinning, anyway.”

He nodded carefully. She heaved a sigh, and he reached out to offer his hand. She grabbed it and hauled herself off the couch. His mouth went dry as her robe gaped open, and her taut stomach peeked at him from between two strips of his favorite color in the world. Soft orange against her smooth skin made him react quickly, and he was relieved when she stepped from the room so he could adjust. The last thing he needed was a raging boner with a woman who he’d already offended.

Peeta wandered over to the kitchen counter where stacks of leaves and other fauna decorated the surface. He nudged a few but stopped when he saw the labels carefully marking what each specimen was. They seemed much more organized than her soil samples he’d knocked from her hands when he’d bumped into her the week before, and he didn’t want to destroy any more of her work.

“They’re my babies,” she said softly from behind his left shoulder. He jumped at her nearness. She’d snuck up on him, moving silently back into the room, after changing into a pair of black leggings and a green v-neck t-shirt that looked so soft he wanted to wrap himself up in it.

“What are they?” he queried and turned to focus on the plants again instead of noticing the way her legs curved elegantly under the tight fabric or the tiny hint of cleavage that peeked above her neckline.

She poked at a piece of bark and explained, “They’re a collection of the local flora and fauna. I’m on leave from an agro-biology lab, but Panem is so close to The Woods that I decided I better use the time off to my advantage. I’ll catalog these, and we can use them as further research. I’ve also wondered… Well, never mind.”

“What?” he prodded. “What have you wondered?”

“My sister wasn’t ever much of an outdoor type of person. She loved helping people and was halfway through med school when she…uh, when she got sick.” He waited patiently as she struggled to control her voice and continued. “We spent a summer here once, and it was the only time I could get her to hike with me or go into that cave. You know, the one over there on the far side of the lake?”

“Yeah, I know that one.”

“She asked me so many questions that summer, all about which plants were edible and what ones could be used for medicine. My mom used to know a bunch of that, too, but Prim said I explained it so much better.” Her pause was wistful and full of memories when she added, “I’ve always thought maybe I could make a field guide. For kids, you know? With illustrations and short descriptions instead of the scientific explanations the ones with photographs have. Get kids interested in nature at an early age.”

He nodded and glanced over at her. Her face was soft, and it made her even more lovely than he already knew she was. “That’s a wonderful idea. Why don’t you?”

“I can’t draw,” she admitted with a rueful smile. “Not even stick figures. I’m terrible. I’d have to hire an artist, and I’m just not in a place finically to do that right now.”

“I see.”

“Anyway, I’m going to sit down because the room isn’t quite stable yet. If you wouldn’t mind making us some, there’s cocoa in the cupboard. That always helps sober me up better than coffee. If your offer to get me something still stands, that is?” She looked so hopeful that a pang shot through his stomach, and he turned quickly to make their drinks.

“Here you go,” he said as he handed her a steaming mug and settled into the chair closest to her side of the couch. “Feeling a little better?”

She sipped the cocoa and groaned when it hit her tongue. “This is so good. Yes, I’m much better. I don’t normally have so much, but I made a new friend today. That woman could drink a sailor under the table and curse better than him while she did.”

“Johanna Mason?” It had to be. None of the other guests could hold a candle to the divorcée, and she added so much color to the resort. Despite her bawdy sense of humor and relentless attempts to lure him into her bedroom, he genuinely liked the woman. She made no apologies for who she was, and he admired her confidence.

“Yes, Jo. What a personality.”

“She’s something alright. She puts quite a spell over everyone she meets. Lots of my co-workers, actually, too. She might have mentioned it.”

Katniss nodded and considered him. “She did. She also mentioned you.”

“Did she? She have anything good to say about me?”

“I guess that depends on what you consider good. She said you were sexy and one of the few employees who didn’t dip into the company pool of eligible women.”

“Flattering and fair. She’s right.”

“Some people call that good ethics,” she said.

“And what do you call it?”

“I call it integrity, and I’m a fan. Don’t push the boundaries unless the boundaries should be breached. Then it’s fair game.”

Peeta took a drink and studied her over the rim. Her earlier snippiness was nowhere to be seen, and he had to admit he liked this version of her. Annie was right; Katniss seemed a little lonely and guarded herself behind a brick wall built with sadness and shitty luck. She probably hadn’t had a break for a long time. Maybe he could offer her one.

“You know if you need an artist, I happen to know one who’s pretty talented.”

“An artist?”

“For your book. The illustrated field guide thing?”

“Oh! The plant book,” she laughed. “I’d almost forgotten I shared that. Nobody really knows anything about that little dream.”

“Well, he could probably do whatever you needed, and I know for a fact he’s available this summer if you wanted to work on it during your stay.”

“Really?” she asked eagerly. “What’s his name? When do you think he could start?”

“Peeta Mellark, and is tomorrow afternoon too soon?”

She gaped at him for just a moment until it registered, and then she broke into a smile that lit up the room. She dazzled, and he knew he’d made the right decision.

“Tomorrow afternoon is perfect. How’s 4:30?”

“I’ll be here.”

* * *

“You’re looking awfully smug. Where’ve you been?”

Finnick grinned at his friend and retorted, “A gentleman never tells.”

“And where can I find one of those?” Peeta deadpanned.

“I’m wounded. Wounded, I say. Whatever happened to being kind to your friends? Especially one who’s newly engaged.”

“You didn’t.”

“I did.”

Peeta whooped and grabbed Finnick in a bearhug. “You finally did it! Congratulations, man! Annie’s such a great girl, and you’re…well, you’re not the worst. Really happy for you.”

“Thanks, Peet. I took her out on the lake, over to the cove on the other side and surprised her with a candlelight picnic on the shore.” 

He stopped there. Peeta didn’t need to know about how Annie had surprised him once he’d slipped the ring on her finger. How she’d made noises that scared away wildlife and done things to him that might be illegal in some countries.

“The outdoors seems to suit you. I’m surprised you didn’t make her swim over there,” Peeta teased.

“Just because I look my best when I’m shirtless and drenched doesn’t mean everyone does. Although, Annie…”

Peeta laughed and clapped his friend on the shoulder. “To be fair, I think all women look better shirtless and sopping wet. And speaking of that, I have something completely off topic to tell you.”

“No drenched women begging Golden Boy to make them come?”

“Finn, that’s…so beyond my abilities it’s not even worth a comment.”

“Just tell me,” Finnick sighed. “After that, we’re going to work on getting you laid sometime soon. You’ve lost all sense of humor.”

“I apologized to Cabin 12.”

“Katniss Everdeen?”

“Yes. Katniss. And I offered to help her with a project.”

Finnick narrowed his eyes and asked, “What kind of project?”

“I’m going to offer my services as an illustrator for a project she’s working on this summer, but it’s not something she’s willing to share yet, so keep your mouth shut, please.”

“Will you both be fully clothed during this process?” Something flashed across Peeta’s face, and Finnick chased it like a cat does a mouse. “What? Explain that look.”

Peeta shook his head. “It’s nothing. She was in a bikini when I showed up at her cabin.”

“And?”

Finnick waited until Peeta admitted, “She looks great in it.”

“I bet she does, Peet. I bet she does.”

“Shut up, Finn.”

“Goodnight, lover boy.”


	5. The Plant Book

Katniss woke the next morning with a massive groan. She hurt all over, both from drinking way too much over an extended period of time and a little bit too much sun the day before.

“You are not that young anymore, lady,” she scolded herself and rolled to her left. She grunted when a streak of light slashed across her eyes. She should have closed the blinds before going to bed last night. Instead, she’d been too excited by Peeta’s offer to help her with the plant book to think about much else. She’d fallen into bed with a huge smile on her face and absolutely nothing else gracing her small frame.

A rapid knock forced her out of bed long before she wanted to rise. She grabbed her robe from the chair where she’d thrown it the night before and flung open the door. A redhead with a smattering of freckles on his cheeks stood on her porch, flushing and shifting from side to side.

“Katniss Everdeen?”

“Yes.”

“My name’s Darius, ma’am, and I have your morning basket.”

“Morning basket?”

“Yes. It has all your pastries, breads, and other breakfast goodies inside. Most are still warm.”

“Oh, thank you…”

“Darius. Yes, ma’am.”

“Darius?” Katniss couldn’t help but grin as she realized why that name sounded familiar. This must be the young thing Jo had snagged for her annual conquest. He was good-looking and earnest, and Katniss could certainly understand the appeal. He looked like he’d do anything for her if she only asked.

“That’s right, ma’am. Enjoy!”

“Thanks!” she called to his retreating back. He wasn’t in any mood to stick around if the speed of his exit was any indication. With a puzzled grin, she glanced inside the basket and found a note along with a variety dozen of baked items.

_Thought you could use these this morning after the day you had yesterday._

“Thanks, Jo,” she murmured and tossed it on the table. She started the coffee machine and poked through the basket to see what kind of treats she’d received. A breakfast of caffeine and carbohydrates fortified her, and she spent the rest of the morning going over several articles in a biology journal on the back deck. The view of the sand on her private beach and the sound of blue water lapping lightly against the shore calmed her. The soft rustle of leaves in the breeze completed the trifecta of everything she loved in nature.

She was looking forward to working with Peeta that afternoon. Despite the tension of their first meeting, Katniss had to admit that the young man was kind, considerate, and thoughtful. His apology demonstrated his integrity. There was something about him that appealed to her, and she wanted to discover a little bit more about what it was that spoke to her.

Eager to get to work, Katniss fixed a quick snack for lunch and then spent the early afternoon preparing and organizing her samples and jotting down notes. Then she checked her appearance in front of the full-length mirror in her bedroom. She changed from the robe she’d been wearing to a pair of khaki shorts and t-shirt. Unsatisfied, she then switched to a sundress. She didn’t allow herself to analyze her actions or the ball of apprehension in her stomach. Instead, she worked to convince herself that the plant book was the only thing on her mind.

“He’s just being helpful,” she insisted as she wrung her hands. “I’m just accepting help from someone with a service to provide.”

_Sure. That’s what he’s doing._

Katniss startled at her sister’s voice in her head. “Be quiet, Prim.”

_You don’t mean that._

“No, I don’t,” Katniss admitted. “I miss you. We’d have so much fun if you were here with me this summer.”

_I think maybe I’d put a damper on your style. It’s not very sexy having a younger sibling hanging around when you’re trying to get it on with a hunky stud._

“You did not just say ‘hunky stud.’ Prim, that’s terrible,” Katniss laughed softly.

_What else should I call them? I didn’t ever date, remember? Too busy going to school and then being sick and dying. Some of us didn’t have men falling all over us our whole lives._

“I think you’re confusing the two of us, Little Duck. Men always fawned over you. You just had no idea.”

_I had an idea. I was just too busy watching you wander through life ambivalent about how you enticed the opposite sex. You have no idea the effect you have._

Katniss snorted. “Stop.”

_It’s time to stop running, Big Sister. You deserve to be happy._

“I don’t.”

_Then maybe it’s time you got something you don’t deserve at all._

“Maybe,” Katniss whispered into the sudden silence. With a sad smile, she registered the empty room. Prim wasn’t really there. She was talking to a ghost. As a scientist, she didn’t believe in communication with spirits or telepathy or whatever the word was for connecting with those in another realm—if there even was one of those. But sometimes… So often, she wished her sister were really there, in any form that allowed them to stay connected.

A knock sounded outside, and she glanced that way. In her melancholy state, she’d almost forgotten that she’d made plans to spend time with a live person, one of human flesh and bones instead of a voice in her head.

“Maybe, but I don’t think so. Not with him anyway,” she mumbled and tossed her head. Plastering a smile on her face, she crossed to the door and opened it.

* * *

Peeta shifted a box of art supplies into his left arm and rapped on the door of Cabin 12. He wasn’t sure what had possessed him last night to offer Katniss his help, but he’d spent the better part of the day regretting his proposal. He hadn’t slept well, mostly because every time he closed his eyes, an image of her body in that bikini flashed in his mind.

His hands itched when he thought about the way her skin would feel under his palms, and he didn’t need that distraction if he was going to be spending hours alone with her in a cabin. One that had a bed. A bed that she’d filled only slightly when he tucked her under the blankets in nothing but a robe she’d removed as soon as she was covered. It had taken every speck of control he had to pick her discarded robe from the floor, drape it over a chair, and leave the cabin when what he’d wanted to do was climb into bed with her.

“Keep it in your pants, man.”

The door swung open, and the smile on her face faltered slightly. She looked fragile and tired, and he had a sudden urge to brush the loose lock of hair behind her ear. When she motioned him inside, he took care to step past her without touching her in case his body reacted to her without his permission.

“Thanks for coming,” she offered as a greeting, and he had to force himself not to let his mind wander to innuendo.

“Happy to help. Where would you like to work?”

She motioned to the kitchen where piles of samples and several notebooks littered the countertop. “I thought maybe we could use the table. We’ll have easy access to the plants and everything else we need that way, and the light is pretty good here. I assume that’s important for drawing?”

“It doesn’t hurt,” he said kindly and dropped his supplies on the table. She was being careful with him, and he didn’t want to startle her. She reminded him of a deer in the woods—alert and ready to flee at a moment’s notice. She had no reason to fear him. He had no intentions other than drawing some pretty pictures for her. It was clear she didn’t want to get too close, and he didn’t plan on pushing the issue.

“I’m not sure how this works,” she admitted as she crossed the room. Her movement effectively placed the table between them, and he realized he was going to have to do some damage control in order to put her at ease. She needed to trust him if this project was going to happen.

“Why don’t you give me a little more information about what you’d like to do, and we can see where the afternoon takes us.”

He noticed the subtle shift in her confidence as she crossed to the countertop and began explaining her vision. Her voice deepened and grew stronger as she described the categories and uses of each grouping of plants, the tension in her shoulders eased, and her hands arched into graceful positions that highlighted her femininity.

When it was clear she felt in control, he joined her and leaned on his elbows. Listening to her continued explanations, he enjoyed the way her eyes sparkled with enthusiasm and the clean scent of her skin when he leaned toward her. There was no hint of heavy perfume. Today, she smelled of fresh air and soap instead of sunscreen and alcohol as she had due to her afternoon with Johanna. At one point, he pointed to a specific stack of leaves, and her hand brushed his forearm when she answered his question. After almost an hour, she seemed completely in control, so he stopped her.

“I think I have a good idea of your vision,” he said. “Why don’t we start with wildflowers today? I’ll just sit here, and you…” He held out the chair next to where he planned to sit. When she slid into it, he suppressed a sigh of relief and joined her at the table.

* * *

Finnick slid his lips from his fiancée’s cheek to her neck. She giggled when he nibbled and then bit her gently.

“Finn, stop,” she laughed and slapped his hands away from her skirt. Insistent, he cupped her behind and hitched her leg over his hip. “Finnick, we’re too exposed. Stop…”

“You don’t want me to stop,” he grunted and pushed her backward against the sturdy trunk of an oak tree.

Annie whimpered against him, and he had every intention of burying himself in her when a sultry voice from behind them purred, “I always love the entertainment opportunities at Panem. I didn’t know sex shows were on the schedule this year.”

Clove and Cato emerged from a pocket of trees just on the other side of the clearing, and Finnick shielded Annie as she scrambled to straighten herself. He tugged his shirt lower to hide his arousal, but he could feel Clove’s eyes burning through the fabric. He felt absolutely violated by the heat of her gaze.

Cato laughed and tugged Clove against him. “How about we make one of our own?” he suggested and made a vulgar gesture that infuriated Finnick. “I’ve always wanted to be a porn star, and you’ve got the best tits.”

Clove grinned up at his face and pressed herself against him so tightly, there wasn’t room for anything but the tiniest sliver of air. She flashed a triumphant smile at the couple and tugged Cato further into the woods. It wasn’t long before sounds that were decidedly not natural echoed from where they’d gone.

“Cato’s such a sick fuck,” Finnick hissed and turned to check on Annie. “Are you okay, sweetheart? I’m so sorry.”

Annie’s green eyes welled with tears. Her red hair tumbled over her trembling shoulders, and she shook as his arms closed around her. He knew she was more embarrassed than anything, but it hurt him deeply to think about the woman he loved in any type of pain. He vowed by the end of the summer to make Cato pay.

Several minutes later, Annie seemed under control, and Cato and Clove had either finished or moved further away and could no longer be heard. He tucked his arm around her and started to move but froze as he recognized the sound of someone else tromping toward them.

“What the hell? Is this some sort of damn frolic nobody told me about?” Finnick cursed under his breath and ducked behind the tree to hide.

“You know I can see you, Finn,” Peeta called across the cove. “What are you doing out here? You weren’t— Oh, God. I’ll leave you alone.”

Disgusted, Finnick answered, “It wasn’t us, you moron. I’m not that much of an exhibitionist. Well, not with Annie, anyway. Maybe by myself.”

“You can stop talking now,” Annie grumbled and waved to her friend. “What are _you_ doing out here, Peeta? I thought you were off this evening.”

“I was,” he confirmed and stopped next to them. “I was helping out in Cabin 12.”

“Oh?”

“Drawing.”

“I’m sorry, what?”

“Finn didn’t tell you?”

“Believe it or not, lover boy, Annie and I have plenty to talk about when we’re together that has absolutely nothing to do with you and your pathetic dearth of eligible women,” Finnick teased. “I have a lot more game than talking about another man when I’m alone with my woman.”

“Oh, I’m so sorry. I totally forgot about your expertise with women. Can you help me, oh wise one?”

“You know, if you two are done posturing and giving each other shit, I’d kind of like to know what Peeta was doing holed up in Cabin 12 with Katniss Everdeen,” Annie snapped. “Sometimes, testosterone is exhausting.”

The two men chuckled in appreciation at Annie’s vehemence. Normally quiet and gracious to a fault, she could also roar like a cornered lioness guarding her young. For some reason, her interest in Katniss and her long-time friendship with Peeta created a fierce protectiveness in her that aroused quite a bit of passion.

“Easy there, Red Riding Hood.” When Annie grinned at the nickname he’d given her when they’d first met because of her seeming innocence under Finnick’s wolfish gaze, Peeta explained. “I went by to see Ms. Everdeen yesterday. Took your advice. She wasn’t there when I arrived, so I waited for a while. Apparently, our favorite cougar got a hold of her yesterday, and Katniss—I mean, Ms. Everdeen, was a little tipsy when she returned to her cabin.”

“Johanna Mason? Katniss Everdeen and Johanna Mason are friends?” Annie asked, incredulously. Johanna had been visiting Panem during the summers since all of them had been working at the resort, and she was hardly Annie’s favorite person. While Annie was cautious and friendly, Jo was brash and uncouth. Katniss seemed much more the former than the latter during each interaction the two had together.

“I don’t exactly think they’re friends,” Peeta explained. “I think Jo recognized another wounded soul when she saw one, and she latched onto Ms. Everdeen.”

Finnick laughed and shook his head. “Peet, I think you’ve moved past pretending you’re not attracted to Cabin 12. We get it. You’re way better than the rest of us and all above those pesky ethical issues, but just call her Katniss. We’re not going to judge you for it. Are we, Annie?”

“Judgment free zone,” she agreed. “So, what happened?”

“Katniss fell into my arms.”

“Literally fell?”

“Well… I caught her when she tripped on the stairs. I helped her inside, and I apologized for being a dick the other day.”

“And tell her what she was wearing,” Finnick chuckled.

Annie gasped, and her eyes widened. “What was she wearing?”

“That’s not important,” he snapped, and Annie giggled at his obvious discomfort. “Anyway, she wants to make a children’s book about leaves and nature and other shit. I offered to draw the plants for her. I’m not sure why. It just kind of came out, and she got so excited about it that I didn’t know how to take it back once it was out there.”

“Well, that’s…that’s really good,” she said encouragingly, “but why are you out so late? What time did you go to her cabin?”

Peeta stammered for a few seconds, and Finnick and Annie exchanged pointed looks. Finally, he admitted, “Around 4:30.”

“You were there for seven hours?” Finnick blurted. “Are you sure—?”

“I’m sure, Finn,” Peeta barked. “I was working the entire time.”

“Sex is a lot of work!”

“Finnick, leave him alone,” Annie urged and turned to Peeta. “This is good, Peet. This is something really productive for each of you to use to fill your downtime. You’re such a good artist, too. As good of an artist as you are a baker. How did she like your breakfast basket, by the way? That was kind of you to send her one this morning.”

“How did you know about that?” he grumbled and glanced skyward. “I should have known you’d hear about it.”

“I had to arrange the delivery,” she protested with a grin.

Peeta shook his head and shrugged his shoulders. “She didn’t say a word about it.”

“Really?”

“Really,” he confirmed, “but she did have the note tucked into a pile of important papers.”

Finnick hooted and clapped him on the shoulder. “That’s got to count for something.”

“I guess we’ll see, won’t we?”

Annie suppressed an excited squeal and answered, “A lot can happen in a summer.”

“It sure can,” Finnick crowed. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, Peet, I have a gorgeous woman I want to romance. Can we get some privacy?”

With a roll of his eyes, Peeta left the engaged couple alone and headed back to the barracks. It was a long time before Finnick returned.


	6. Camp Friends Forever

“Breathe,” Katniss hissed as she jogged down the path, concentrating on the steady intake and release of air through her lungs. She was never much of a gym rat, but she’d found interest in a number of activities this summer she hadn’t cared about prior to time at Panem.

Left, right, left, right, left, right.

The trees soared overhead as she ran. The cool air caressed her skin and helped wick away the perspiration that beaded on her back and torso. The early morning humidity hinted at an overly warm day, but she was up early enough that the valley was shaded and slightly chilled. Her braid bounced against her shoulder as her muscles flexed and bunched in time with her strides.

Although she almost hated to admit it, being at Panem had loosened her up over the past few weeks. Despite the early run-in with Peeta and their animosity, the people she’d met had all been wonderfully helpful at making her feel at home and comfortable. Johanna amused her to no end, even though they hadn’t spent much more time together after the day at the pool. The grounds were gorgeous, and she’d spent time centering herself among the trees and in the water. In general, coming here had been a good idea.

But…

Lord, she was reeling. Because Peeta Mellark was one of the most gorgeous men she’d ever met, and he was funny and smart and sweet and made her feel all sorts of things she hadn’t allowed herself to feel for a really long time.

And he was practically a child.

Trying to escape her thoughts, she ran harder. If she could only run far enough, then maybe she could outrun how attracted she was to the young man who made her heart flutter when he smiled at her or when his brow furrowed and the tip of his tongue stuck out when he worked on a particularly difficult drawing in the plant book. Maybe she could leave behind her frustration and anger and irritation about all the things that had gone wrong for her. Maybe she could forget how empty her life was without her sister. Maybe she could avoid thinking about how lonely she was.

She wound her way back to her cabin and checked the stats from her run. Her shirt stuck in wet patches to her chest, and she wiped sweat from her forehead with the back of her hand. A basket of muffins sat on her kitchen counter, and she grinned when she read the card. It was from Peeta and simply said, _Thought you might be hungry. See you this afternoon._ She gulped down a drink and wandered back to her bathroom before stripping and stepping into the shower.

The water sluiced over her heated skin, and she washed her hair and body slowly. She felt almost drunk with relaxation, her blood singing in her veins and an ache between her thighs. When she was done, she wrapped herself in a towel and then a robe before padding into the bedroom and sinking onto the bed.

She breathed deeply, filling her lungs and exhaling, but she was jumpy. She needed something, but she wasn’t sure exactly what it was. It took several minutes of lying still, her skin drying from the breeze of the ceiling fan, before she realized she was…well, she was fucking horny.

Her eyes drifted closed, and she reached sideways to pull her vibrator from the side table. She flicked it on and put it between her legs. The initial touch caused a shot of electricity through her, and she inhaled sharply.

It felt so damn good.

It felt amazing.

It felt like fire.

It felt like she would shatter.

If felt like—

Her back bowed off the bed, and she groaned as she spasmed and shook. Her legs twitched, and she breathed through the waves that racked her body. She panted as her blood sang and her limbs went slack. Blue eyes flashed through her mind right before it went blank. She didn’t bother to think. Instead, she reveled in the endorphins that were dancing inside her.

The day passed, but she didn’t remember how. She floated through the hours and handed Peeta a cup of tea when he joined her in the afternoon. She felt like melting butter, and the smile he gave her across the table made her want to jump him. Before she could do something really stupid, she rose from the table and crossed to the fridge. Opening the freezer, she grabbed a handful of ice and dropped it into a bowl she’d left lying on the counter.

“It’s so hot today,” she grumbled as she stomped back to join him and plunked the bowl of ice on the table.

“Want me to turn up the air conditioner?” Peeta asked, his attention on his drawing. She didn’t answer—instead concentrated on the way his eyelashes tangled and the tip of his tongue pressed between his lips and tempted her.

“No,” she sighed. “It’s fine. I’ll just use this ice.”

Peeta grunted but didn’t glance up, and she both repressed a huff of frustration and gave thanks he wasn’t paying any attention to the rivulets of water that ran down her neck and moistened her collar against her skin. Her nipples peaked in response to the mixture of cold and heat, and she slumped in her chair to hide her chest.

“Thanks again for doing this,” she said softly.

He didn’t even pause when he assured her it was no problem. Katniss shook her head and flipped her braid over her shoulder. She needed to get it together and stop lusting after a kid who was merely doing her a favor. He wasn’t interested in her. She shouldn’t be into him. Also, he was off-limits, or at least she was to him. More importantly, she wasn’t here for that. She was here to recover and bedding down the help wasn’t the way to do that.

_What if it is?_

Katniss ignored the whisper of her sister’s voice in her ear. A man wasn’t the answer to her problems. She didn’t know much about anything but soil and trees, but she did know that.

* * *

Peeta shaded the underside of a leaf and scrubbed at a particularly difficult spot with his thumb. Irritated that he’d messed up more than he wanted, he inhaled sharply and held his breath as he tried to keep his mind on the task at hand. It wasn’t easy with Katniss sitting across from him anyway, but the way she was caressing her neck and chest with ice cubes that melted against her hot skin and ran down to steam over her breasts and down her taut stomach—

He cleared his throat and shifted in his seat. He ordered himself to stop fantasizing about her, to stop thinking about the way her skin would taste if he licked over her with his mouth and tongue and teeth, if his lips nibbled at the spot behind her ear, if his charcoal-covered hands cupped her breasts and his fingers pinched her nipples until she moaned his name and begged him to—

_This isn’t helping at all_ , he scolded internally. He was half-hard and jumpy, which was exactly how he shouldn’t be with a woman who clearly needed a friend more than a quick lay and was also a guest at the resort and not his own personal conquest.

“How was today?” he finally asked. His voice was hoarse and scratchy from repressed desire, but the question sounded normal enough as it rumbled from him.

“Hot,” Katniss complained, and Peeta had to stop himself from scanning her and agreeing. She was definitely hot, sexy as hell, but he was trying to downgrade his sexual frustration, not increase it.

“North Carolina summers are always terrible,” he said instead and then laughed. “I guess maybe you already knew that. You don’t sound like a Yankee. Where are you from anyway?”

Katniss studied him when he looked at her, and he quickly ducked his head to consider his drawing again.

“I live in West Virginia.”

“Ah. In the mountains?”

“Morgantown. I work at the university.”

“The University of West Virginia?” When she nodded, he added, “I almost went there. They have a decent wrestling program. I got a scholarship offer, but…”

“But?” she prodded and leaned back in her chair. He hesitated before offering an edited version of his past.

“Family troubles. Ended up doing a year of community college first, and then transferring to NC State. Got a few scholarships and decided that was a better fit.”

“I’m sorry,” she answered, but he just shrugged.

“Not your fault.”

“Well, obviously.” Her half-laugh tugged at his heartstrings and then plucked them harder when she said, “Clearly, I don’t know what happened, but I understand family problems.”

The silence stretched for several minutes until he set down his pencil and gave her his full attention. He hadn’t talked about that night to anyone for a really long time, but he believed her when she indicated she’d understand. Suddenly, he wanted her to know a little more about him, so he huffed a breath and spilled.

“My family—parents and two brothers, both older, and I—ran a bakery. The business was downstairs. We lived upstairs. I was out one night. I broke curfew. I should have been home, but I wasn’t. I was pissed at my parents, and my oldest brother—well, he’d been a shit to me more than normal that day. I should have headed home, but I thought staying out late was a big middle finger to all of them. Something happened—something with the wiring—and the bakery caught fire.”

“No,” she whispered. She raised her hand to her mouth, and Peeta blinked a few times to control the moisture in his eyes.

“I was a senior, anyway. Almost out of the house when it happened. My brothers were home from college, or they would have been fine, too. Maybe it would have been easier if they were still around. As it was, though…”

“I’m so sorry,” she offered, and his lips curved into a wry smile.

“Like I said, not your fault.”

His eyes held hers for several seconds before he dropped them to his hands. They were covered in charcoal, just like the remains of his childhood home after the flames were extinguished. Dirty. Covered in shame and regret. Just like him.

She reached for him but stopped and dropped her arms below the table. He ducked his head and studied his nails in the awkward silence stretching between them. Just when he was about to excuse himself and leave for the evening, she spoke.

“My sister passed away a few years ago. Cancer. I couldn’t save her either.”

Peeta bit his lip and concentrated on breathing through his nose. His shoulders tensed, and his chest hurt.

“I know what you’re going to say. Something about me not being able to save someone from cancer. That there’s nothing I could do. That I’m not a doctor. That cancer is a killer.” When he didn’t say anything, she whispered, “Fire kills, too. It wasn’t your fault. If you’d been there, it would have also taken you.”

He ran a hand over his face, and her lips twitched in amusement. The smile in juxtaposition to her sad eyes relieved a little bit of the pressure in his chest, and he slumped back into his chair.

“I have charcoal on my face, don’t I?”

She nodded as her eyes sparkled in the fading sunlight. He needed to go. He needed to leave this cabin and go back to his barracks and stop the spiral of his inappropriate feelings toward the beautiful, wounded woman in front of him. Instead, he reached across the table and held his palm up. He waited for what felt like an eternity until she stretched toward him and grazed his hand with her fingertips.

“Thank you,” he said softly, and she nodded.

Her acceptance of his pain, of his guilt, of his inability to let go of the agony made him feel better. Like somehow, he wasn’t alone anymore. She’d just given him a gift he knew he’d never really deserve, but it was something precious and special and desperately needed.

“What do you think of the progress we’re making?” she asked, putting the conversation between them firmly back into the friendship camp.

“We’re doing great,” he said, well-aware his answer was lame and made him sound extremely young instead of the self-possessed artist he was. “I mean, I’m done with this sketch. I can do a couple more tonight, if you’d like.”

“If you have time,” she responded with a shrug. “Dinner? I have some really great bakery quality bread that some guy from the resort made.”

He couldn’t stop the laugh that burst from him. “That guy.”

“Yeah,” she agreed gently, “that guy.”

Her eyes shone, and the smile that graced her face made him want to forget everything but what was happening inside Cabin 12. She handed him three more plant samples before moving out of his sightline. He could hear her preparing food behind him, so he turned his chair and started another sketch before asking her more questions.

“So, why Panem?” he asked. “I mean, you live in West Virginia. Why a North Carolina resort when there are plenty of places between here and Morgantown?”

Katniss chopped an avocado carefully, and he watched the emotions flit across her face. When she spoke, she was almost too tired to hear.

“I came here once with my family when I was young. It was…magical, I guess. I don’t really have any other word to describe it. It was the best summer of my life, and I guess I just wanted a little reminder that things used to be good. That maybe they can be good again.”

“And then I ruined it.”

“No, you didn’t,” she insisted. “Turkey or ham?”

“Turkey,” he replied, and she piled several pieces on some of the bread he’d brought with him earlier.

“I was a mess the first few weeks here. That wasn’t your fault. You just got in the way. Mayo or mustard?”

“Mayo.”

“Besides, you’re making up for it,” she said and gestured at the pile of drawings he’d already completed.

“You only want me for my talent.”

“I don’t think that’s unreasonable,” she laughed. “Why would I want you for things you’re terrible at doing?”

“Fair enough,” he agreed and thanked her as she set his sandwich and a salad in front of him. “Why this field? Agro-biology? I mean, it sounds fake.”

“Nature makes me feel better. There’s something about the smell of soil that gets to me. After it’s rained or when it’s warmed by the sun or just after the first frost in autumn… It’s comforting.”

“And the plants?” he asked after swallowing.

“My dad used to teach me. I’m named after a plant. So was my sister. Dad used to take me into the forest and show me all sorts of things. I learned the names and the properties. Which ones were poisonous and which were medicinal. I don’t know. It just seems like dirt without plants is a waste of space, so why not understand the symbiosis between them?”

Peeta studied her as she talked. The sun sank lower and the room grew darker as he asked more questions and she answered. There was something about their time together that calmed him, and it was clear she felt comfortable with him, too. She answered him simply and honestly, and he realized the longer she talked, the more he liked the woman she was. She was someone he respected—hard-working, kind-hearted, feisty, protective, fierce, and humble. She made him want to be worthy of her attention.

It really was time for another call to his therapist.

* * *

“Peeta.”

Annie smiled when her friend raised his head and blinked at her. She moved to the left to block the early morning sun from shining in his eyes and then sank down next to him at the picnic table overlooking the lake.

“Morning.”

“You’re up early.”

“Couldn’t sleep,” he grunted and shaded the sunrise in the background of his picture with oil crayons.

She nodded and sat silently as the sun rose over the water. The sky brightened and shifted from orangey pink to lilac to powder blue as the minutes passed. Peeta continued to sketch, his focus shifting from the sky to the woman in the foreground. He focused on her face, rounding her eyebrows and elongating her lashes. Annie took note of the pout of her lips and the way her hair was twisted into a thick braid. It was the same woman Peeta featured in almost all his artwork, but there were subtle changes from his earlier works.

“Does she have a name?” Annie asked.

He shrugged and bumped her shoulder with his. “I’ve never really thought about her name. She’s just…”

“Just?”

“She’s just always been her. I don’t know.”

“I’ve known you for a few years now, Peeta, and every woman in every piece of artwork I’ve ever seen you make is her. There must be something special about her.”

He remained quiet, but she could tell his mind was whirring when he put down oil crayons and ran his fingers lightly over the drawing. He practically vibrated next to her, and Annie wondered how often he repressed his feelings so that even she and Finnick didn’t really know him at all.

“You don’t have to tell me, but I’m willing to listen,” she offered. “She’s obviously important to you, and it seems like maybe you’d like to share her with others. Especially if she’s so special.”

“I don’t know who she is,” he finally admitted. “I’ve never known her name. All I know is that I saw her here a long time ago. She was here one summer when my family came—before everything. I always thought she was beautiful. She crawled into my brain and never left.”

“Why do you draw her?”

Peeta flashed her a wry smile and shook his head before staring into the distance. “I don’t really know. I guess she reminds me of a better time. When my family was still alive. Before I was all alone and flailing and trying to make sense of everything. She followed me from the good to the bad, and I feel like I have somebody when I bring her to life on paper.”

“You know you always have us, Peeta. Finnick and me. We’re always here for you. Haymitch, too. A bunch of us here love you so much, and we only want good things for you.”

“I know that,” he said, his voice hoarse. “She’s just different.”

“Understandable.”

“You think I’m crazy,” he chuckled, and she shook her head.

“I think you’re coping, and there’s nothing wrong with that at all. She makes you feel better, and that’s a really good thing.”

“But?”

“I didn’t say there was a ‘but’.”

“You didn’t have to. I know you’re not saying everything.”

Annie considered the sketch again briefly and then tentatively said, “It looks like she’s changing a little bit. At least from what I remember of your earlier images of her.” Surprise fluttered over his features, and she waited for him to ponder her question. It took longer than she expected before understanding dawned in his eyes.

“She looks like Katniss now,” he whispered.

Annie squeezed his wrist in comfort. “Is that a bad thing?”

“I just didn’t notice until you suggested it. Maybe I’m losing my mind.”

“I don’t think that’s true at all. I think you’re building a really important friendship that’s infiltrated your subconscious. Why wouldn’t this woman look more like one you’re spending a lot of time with this summer?”

He raised confused eyes to her, and she smiled at him. He blinked several times but didn’t say anything. Annie would have laughed since Peeta always seemed to have control over his words, but he was speechless.

“You know, it’s really nice to see you care about something the way you seem to be invested in the plant book.”

“I owe it to her,” he sighed. “You know that, Annie. I was an ass to her when she first got here. It’s penance for being a total dick to a guest.”

“She seems to have forgiven you already. This is above and beyond, and you know it. You don’t have to punish yourself for every single mistake you make. It won’t bring them back.”

The air froze around them, and Annie bit her lip. She’d gone too far. Her words were an attempt to comfort him, but they’d clearly done anything but that.

“Finn’s coming.”

Peeta’s voice was strained, and his fingers gripped the edge of the table so hard his knuckles turned white. She tried to figure out something else to say, but there wasn’t enough time before her fiancé joined them.

“Making a move on my woman, Mellark?” Finnick teased. “Sunrises are almost as romantic as sunsets. I better watch my back, I guess.”

“Nah. Not making a move. Annie realized on her own how much better of a human I am than you. I can’t help that all the women fall for me.”

Peeta grabbed his oil crayons and drawing as he spoke and strode away from the table before his words faded. Finnick raised his eyebrows at her, and she shook her head.

“He’s not ready to face it yet,” she mumbled. “I thought maybe this summer he finally would.”

Finnick pulled her into a hug, and she sighed against his chest. They only had a few minutes before they both had to be at their morning positions, so she shoved her friend’s predicament from her mind and lifted her face for Finnick’s kiss.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for the comments and kudos on this story. I promise I'll respond to your kind words. Hope all of you are staying safe and well during this very odd time.


	7. Tug of War

“It’s good to hear from you, Peeta. It’s been a while.”

Peeta ran his hand through his hair and sank onto his bunk in the cabin. He’d finally decided to take his own advice and contact Dr. Aurelius. He hoped discussing what was happening would help clear his head and organize his thoughts. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d felt so unmoored and unsure about how he should react to the world around him.

“Thanks for making time for an appointment. I appreciate it,” he said softly into the phone. He hated that there wasn’t a more private place for him to have his session, but it beat having to go into an office.

“How are you feeling?”

“I’m okay.”

“You’re working at Panem again this summer?”

“I am.”

“And how’s that going?”

“Fine. It’s fine.”

“I see.”

Peeta flopped back onto his mattress and closed his eyes. Frustrated, he held his breath for a few seconds before elaborating.

“I’m… I just want to get through this summer.”

“Did something happen that makes you think you won’t?”

“No. I mean…” He bit his bottom lip for several seconds, but his therapist just waited for him to continue instead of taking control of the conversation. “Maybe?”

“Care to tell me about it?”

Dr. Aurelius’ voice was patient and soothing as it came through the phone, and finally Peeta managed to relax enough to share some of what concerned him.

“You know how important Panem is to me. We’ve talked about it enough over the years, so you get its significance.”

“Yes.”

“I’ve always been a good worker. Follow all the rules. Treat all the guests well. All the things I’m supposed to do.”

“A model employee.”

“Yeah. Something like that,” he grunted. Frustrated, he rose from his bed and slunk to the window to look out at the tree that shaded his cabin. There was something about the spread of the branches that relaxed him. It was like an old friend who assured him things would be okay even when all the evidence in the world appeared to say otherwise.

“So, what’s different now?”

The therapist’s voice was gentle, prodding, kind, considerate—all the things his internal voice rarely was when his mind was quiet enough to hear what it said. Peeta wanted to unburden himself. He did. He just didn’t have any idea how to actually explain it.

“It doesn’t have to be perfect,” Dr. Aurelius reminded him.

“What doesn’t?”

“Your explanation.”

“Nothing’s perfect,” Peeta muttered. “Nothing’s been perfect for a really long time. Until…”

“Until?”

“I don’t know,” he grunted. “It’s just…maybe this summer is really close to it.”

Silence stretched between them, and Peeta wondered if he should have kept his mouth shut. He waited for a few minutes, but there was nothing from the other end. He checked his screen to make sure the connection was still open. When he was sure it was, he huffed and decided to say whatever came out of his mouth first. Sometimes he really needed to stop thinking so much.

“I met someone. She’s…” Peeta pounded the windowsill and plunked his forehead against the screen. “She’s amazing. A guest here at Panem, and fraternization with guests is strictly frowned upon at the resort.”

“I see,” his therapist said, and Peeta’s heart sank. “But first, before we start talking about how you shouldn’t be talking to her, can I hear a little bit more about her? What’s so amazing about her?”

“She’s funny and feisty and really smart. She’s a scientist, collects samples all the time in the woods, and I’m helping her with a project she dreamed up to help kids understand plants better. She wants to make botany makes sense to people of all ages—that’ll help her deal with her sister’s death, and—”

He cut off abruptly, suddenly aware he was rambling and babbling in such a way that barely made any sense.

“Anything else?”

Peeta detected a hint of humor in his therapist’s words, and his mouth quirked up into a rueful smile. “I’m gushing.”

“You are.”

“I don’t gush very often.”

“You’re right. You don’t.”

“What do you think that means?” Peeta held his breath, hoping the answer would be something that made the conflict raging in his head make more sense.

“I think it means you like this woman.”

“And what am I supposed to do about that?”

“What do you _want_ to do about that, Peeta?”

“How is that relevant?”

“How is it _not_ relevant?”

“Dr. Aurelius, it’s against the rules.”

And there it was, he realized. Peeta was a rule follower now. He had been since the fire that killed his family. Because the last time he broke a rule, his family died while he was out acting a fool.

“Shit,” he moaned and immediately apologized. “Sorry.”

“I think I can handle a tiny bit of profanity,” his therapist chuckled. “I’m going to ask you something now, Peeta, and I want you to think about it before you answer. Do not say anything immediately. Your first reaction will be something we both already know, but that’s not what I’m looking for from your answer.”

“Okay,” he breathed. “I can do that. Maybe.”

“I have confidence in your ability to not speak for a few seconds. You’ve proven your worth.”

“All right, doc. Glad you think so highly of me.”

“What if your job ended?”

“I—”

“Hear me out, Peeta. I did ask you not to answer immediately.” Peeta snapped his mouth shut and waited for something that would help him process how losing his job would be a good thing. “I know Panem is important to you. I know how they rallied around you and gave you a home during the summers and sponsored you through college and everything they’ve done for you. I know all that. It’s been a godsend, but—”

“How is there even a ‘but’ in this scenario? After everything you just said.”

“But,” Dr. Aurelius argued pointedly, “it’s a summer job to get you through your degrees. You’re almost done. I’m not encouraging you to purposefully break the rules, but I am suggesting that maybe your crisis will be resolved by the end of the summer without you having to do anything at all. It’s a few months versus the rest of your life. What if this woman is someone you want to be a permanent fixture in your life?”

“I…uh…”

“Eloquently put, as always.”

“You think I’m using my job as an excuse not to get close to someone.”

“The thought has crossed my mind, yes.”

“Damn it.”

“Twice in one session. You’ve got quite a mouth on you today.”

Peeta barked with laughter, and he felt his shoulders relax slightly. He really was overthinking this. Katniss was beautiful. She was funny and kind and broken. She made him feel better when he was with her, and he looked forward to the time they spent together. There was no reason not to enjoy what they had, which at this point was a burgeoning friendship. There was nothing wrong with that in Panem’s Code of Conduct. Friendship between workers and guests was a natural result of the time spent at the resort.

“I probably should have called you earlier because I feel a shit ton better.”

“It’s almost like it’s my job or something.”

“Thanks, Doc. I’ll check in again in a few weeks.”

“I’ll look forward to an update.”

“So will I,” Peeta mumbled after he’d disconnected. “Who knows what the hell will happen in the next few weeks?”

Katniss sat on the deck that overlooked her private beach and watched the sun hang lazily in the afternoon sky. It was hot and humid, just like almost every other day she’d spent at Panem Resort so far. After an early morning run, a noon-time dip, and a light lunch, she’d showered, dressed, and taken a glass of iced tea and a couple of Peeta’s pastries outside and allowed the dappled sun to warm her skin. A light breeze kept the temperature bearable, and she stretched her legs and back before settling into her chair.

He’d be here at some point, but she wasn’t sure when. He’d come when he could, and she planned to enjoy the day until then. Not that she wouldn’t enjoy it when he arrived. Because she would. Their time together had quickly become her favorite part of her visit to the resort, and she couldn’t help the way her body thrummed when she thought about his presence filling up her small cabin.

_You know…_

“Don’t start, Prim,” she murmured as she sipped her iced tea. The cool wetness soothed her throat and helped her body temperature stay in check.

_I wouldn’t have to start if you would. I love you, Katniss, but you could use a push._

“I don’t need a push when there’s nothing to do except enjoy this gorgeous weather.”

_Yes. That’s exactly what your life goal should be. Enjoying the weather._

“What’s wrong with that?”

_There’s nothing wrong with that. I just hoped maybe this summer you’d finally find someone. And then you did, but you keep resisting._

“Because being in a relationship should be my life goal?” Katniss snorted. “Come on, Prim. I thought you were more of a feminist than that.”

_Being a feminist doesn’t mean becoming a nun._

“I’m not a nun.”

_Katniss, stop being difficult._

She could almost see her sister grinning at her with an exasperated look in her blue eyes. In her imagination, Prim’s blonde hair blew in the breeze, and Katniss jolted at the similar colorings between her sister and the man who would arrive later in the afternoon.

“I don’t mean to be difficult,” she garbled as she sucked on an ice cube.

“You always talk to yourself?”

She jumped at the low voice behind her and almost spilled her tea as she jerked around to see Peeta grinning at her through the French doors.

“Holy crap,” she squeaked and put her hand over her heart. It thumped wildly beneath her palm, and she took a few deep breaths to ground herself. “You snuck up on me.”

“To be fair, I made a lot of noise. You must have been pretty deep in thought arguing with yourself if you didn’t hear me.”

His grin gave him such a boyish look, Katniss felt a sharp pang of guilt for even thinking about him in a sexual manner. It didn’t matter that he was in his mid-twenties. He looked so young with that smirk gracing his handsome face.

“I guess I was distracted. It’s gorgeous out here.”

Peeta squinted into the sun before slipping his sunglasses back over his eyes. The sun had sunk significantly lower in the west since she’d come outside. She really had been lost in her thoughts since it was clearly late afternoon now. His arrival was just about the same time as he’d arrived every day with his easy-going presence and eagerness to help make her plant book dream come true. She really was wonderfully fortunate to have met him during her stay.

“Want some tea?” she asked and smiled up at him. She waved to the chair, and he plopped into it and stretched his legs before propping them up against the balcony railing.

“Nah, I’m fine, but I wouldn’t mind a little sun before we go inside.”

“Of course.”

They chatted for several minutes, and she couldn’t stop her gaze from sweeping over him as he laughed and responded to her. His hair looked particularly ashy in the golden sunlight, the tips curling into curls that fell over his forehead and grazed the top of his sunglasses. His lips glistened pink and wet, and she felt her own tingle when she imagined his moving against hers, him tonguing into her mouth and drawing a broken whimper from her before—

“Are you sure you don’t want tea?” she blurted, and he quirked his head at her sudden change of topic.

“I mean…sure?”

She nodded quickly and scurried inside. Sticking her head in the fridge, she breathed in the cool air and gave herself a pep talk to calm the hell down. When she thought she had herself under control, she plastered a friendly smile on her face and rejoined him on the balcony.

“Here you go,” she said and handed him the glass. His fingers brushed against hers lightly when he took the drink, and she allowed them to linger together instead of pulling back too quickly.

“Thanks,” he mumbled and took a gulp.

Her eyes slid over him again. And again. And again. And again.

As she followed him into her cabin so he could sketch a set of perennials.

As he regaled her with a story of a family that checked in earlier in the day who wasn’t prepared for Finnick’s enthusiasm as he helped them settle into their cabin.

As he helped her whip together a salad and tucked a stray strand of hair that had escaped her braid behind her ear.

As his shoulder brushed hers when he took the knife and cut the tomatoes.

As his palm lingered on her back when he pulled out her chair and helped her into it.

As he hugged her good night and promised to return the next afternoon.

The cabin felt terribly empty after he left, so she slid out onto the back porch and let music play on her phone for company. It was nice to watch the stars twinkle and listen to the soft lap of water against the lake’s shore. She could just make out the noise of other guests as they made their way back and forth to the lodge and realized it had been too long since she’d spent any time with Johanna Mason.

On a whim, she dialed her friend’s cabin and asked if she’d be willing to meet up the next day. Johanna responded in the affirmative and suggested an art class that paired painting with wine.

“Perfect,” Katniss breathed and agreed to the invitation before ending the call. “See, Prim? I’m not doing so terrible, am I?”

_I don’t know. You’re alone in a cabin all afternoon with a man, but you ended up making a date to hang out with a girlfriend. Seems like the wrong goal, but it’s better than isolation._

“You’re never satisfied, are you, Little Duck?”

_I’ll be satisfied when I know you are._

“I’m fine.”

_Fine isn’t happy. Fine isn’t good enough for you. Fine is what we accept when we don’t think we can have anything else._

Those words echoed in her head long after the voice of her dead sister left her on the porch alone. She was fine. She really was, but the idea of happiness seemed a little closer this summer than it ever had before—if only because of the capable hands that sketched the plants she loved so much.

“Has he admitted anything to you yet?”

Finnick dipped his head and ran his tongue along tendons in Annie’s neck. He had no earthly idea why his fiancée insisted on talking about another man when they were alone together, but he grunted to show his displeasure and ran his hands up her back to catch in her tangle of red curls.

“Finn, I’m serious,” she breathed, and he grinned at the catch in her voice. Clearly attempting to keep the focus on their friend’s situation, she was breaking under his kisses. He was just that good.

“He hasn’t said a thing,” Finnick growled impatiently. “You know Mellark.”

“We should encourage him.”

“We should forget about him and make out a little bit more. Come on, Annie. This is the best shot we have for some alone time for…well, awhile,” he pouted.

She shook her head at him but gave him another kiss. “We both have tomorrow night off, Finn. I think we’ll be able to find some alone time then.”

“But—”

“One track mind is what you have, isn’t it? I already agreed to marry you. We’ll have the rest of our lives to spend together. Don’t you want Peeta to be as happy as we are?”

Finnick threw his hands up in exasperation and leaned back against the tree that hid them from the rest of Panem. “Honestly? I don’t really give a shit about Peet right now. I really just want to spend some time with my really sexy, sweet, beautiful fiancée while we have some peace and quiet. He can deal with his own sex life.”

“Oh, I see,” she teased. “You thought we were going to have sex tonight.”

“You mean we’re not?” The words came out in a plaintive whine that would have embarrassed him if he wasn’t so frustrated already. His stomach dropped when she straightened her clothes and tied her hair back in a loose braid. He’d spent a lot of time messing both those up, and she’d just undone all his work in a few seconds.

“Finnick Odair. Love of my life. Do I look like a quickie under a tree? I have standards.”

“And you never know who’s lurking in the dark.”

The couple jumped at the disembodied male voice, but Finnick clenched his fists when he saw Cato and Clove emerging from the line of trees behind them. Cato leered at them while Clove looked on with a bored smirk that could only mean something terrible was coming in the near future.

“It’s not nice to sneak up on people,” Annie said quietly.

“Are we nice?” Clove asked. Cato’s laughter sounded almost maniacal in the darkness, and Finnick moved Annie behind him as if shielding her with his body would stop any derision from the other two from reaching her.

“I don’t believe I ever said anything about being nice,” Cato confirmed. “What’s Mellark done to be the topic of discussion, anyway? Odair, you need some help getting your girl turned on or something? I mean, I’m available if you aren’t able to perform.”

“Let’s go, Annie,” Finnick growled. He grabbed her hand and pulled her in the direction of her cabin. They would have to cut their time short tonight because he needed to punch something, and it couldn’t be her.

“Is Cabin 12 supposed to make Peeta happy?” Clove called after them. Her voice was cruel and cutting, and Finnick’s stomach sank. Somehow, they knew about the time Peeta’d been spending with Katniss Everdeen, and that spelled nothing but trouble. He hoped somehow they could avoid an explosion, but that didn’t seem likely.


	8. Art Class

“Katniss! Over here!”

Johanna Mason waved, and Peeta watched as the woman he couldn’t stop fantasizing about walked over and sat behind an easel he’d set up for the afternoon’s class.

“Fuck,” he swore under his breath. “Fuck, fuck, fuck.”

Jo was a menace, and now she was sitting next to Katniss, who he thought he’d see alone later in the day, when they could be by themselves in her cabin, and he could keep his mind and hands occupied with the plant book instead of how good she looked in her strappy sundress that clung to her body in all the right places.

“Keep it in your pants,” Clove said as she approached. Thankfully, she had enough sense to lower her voice low, so he was the only one who heard her bitchy comment.

“To what do I owe this unfortunate meeting?” he asked. Clove could possibly be his least favorite person on the planet. Her boyfriend or fuck buddy or whatever the hell Cato was to her might be her only rival for his lack of affection. “Someone has to stock the bat colony, and you decided to ask me for help?”

“You’re an asshole,” she hissed at him, and he grinned brightly. He didn’t take pleasure in being cruel often, but Clove pushed all his buttons in every single wrong way. If she hadn’t panted after him so hard in college, tried to break up his relationship with Glimmer, and then turned on him when she followed him to Panem Resorts for her summer job, he might have had more sympathy.

“So sorry for your loss,” he jeered under his breath. Clove had let him know repeatedly that she really enjoyed anal sex and wanted to practice with him and on him before he’d finally told her to leave him the hell alone. She creeped him out, and her behavior since his rejection hadn’t made him any more interested in spending time repairing their relationship.

Clove glowered at him for a few minutes before handing over the slip of paper in her hand. “It’s from Haymitch. You’ve been summoned.”

“Thanks,” Peeta barked and grabbed the note out of her hand. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a class to teach. Run along.”

If looks could kill, he’d be dead right now. Clove’s glare sharpened to knifepoints before shifting into a withering stare before she stalked toward the lodge. Peeta startled out of his daze when Johanna hooted laughter and made a catty comment about his charm with the ladies. He rolled his eyes at the older woman, but the discomfiture on Katniss’ face made him ache to pull her aside and comfort her until the furrow between her brow smoothed.

He didn’t have time to think about what that meant. Not during his class. Not when Jo was there and calling him Bread Boy and making references to his loaf and buns. He liked her a lot. She had a spunkiness about her that made him laugh internally until he shook, but he had a job to do that needed his attention. There were children swimming in the lake only a few yards away, for fuck’s sake.

“All right, Mason,” he called. “Simmer down. Don’t make me cut off your wine supply.”

“You can pry that from my cold, dead hands,” she retorted. “Besides, my new friend Kat here would share her supply, right?”

“Sure?” Katniss answered, although clearly uncomfortable with the conversation.

“Let’s get started, then,” Peeta said as he clapped his hands and turned his body to face the entire group, “while your paintings still look like paintings. Although, you’ve picked a good time to blame it all on the alcohol, if you’d like.”

The others seated behind easels laughed appreciably, and Peeta launched into his usual spiel about painting being an art, not a science, so each participant should feel free to experiment as much as desired during the class. He explained his role as a guide, not a task master, and asked for questions before moving to his own canvas and revealing the image he’d picked for the participants to attempt to replicate. He bounced back and forth a few times between a stylized cityscape and a pastoral scene that closely resembled the resort. Instead of a lake, though, there was a sparkling stream that wound past a cove of trees and a few deer grazing in the meadow. Usually, his class members were older and appreciated the sentimentality.

He moved through the group deliberately, checking on the elderly ladies who gossiped and drank as they haphazardly splashed oil on canvas before sliding over to the younger couple who he knew both majored in art in college. Katniss and Johanna sat near the back, so he left them for last on every cycle.

“That looks really good, Ms. Everdeen,” he offered in praise.

“Katniss.”

“Katniss. Yes. Sorry.”

“My deer are too fat,” Johanna snorted derisively and took another gulp from her glass. “I think I’m going to turn them into moose. Or a bear. You know I like ’em big.”

He shook his head at her and bit his lip to stop a smile from stretching across his face. “I think the whole resort knows that, Jo. If you just round out that right there, I think that one could look like a bear. Yeah, like that.”

“You like it that way?”

“Yeah, it’s good.”

Peeta glanced sideways and realized Katniss’ face was bright red. When he turned to Johanna, she winked at him, and he realized how the conversation they’d just had could have been the lewd language of foreplay in the right situation.

“Seriously, Mason. Give it a rest.”

“Just letting you know I appreciate the goods.”

“Insatiable is what you are.”

“That’s very true. Wanna find out firsthand?”

He snorted and made another rotation through the class, guiding and prompting, as they copied what he modeled for them. Mercifully, the time passed quickly and without any more innuendos from Jo. He thanked each of the participants for coming and invited them back for next week’s class if they were still guests then before turning to pack his supplies. He needed to read Mr. Abernathy’s note still, but that was no excuse to be rude to the maintenance crew who moved the chairs and easels into and out of storage for him every time.

When he was satisfied, he pulled the paper out of his pocket and unfolded it to read, “Report to my office immediately after art class.” The spartan words made him nervous, but he’d always had a good relationship with Haymitch. He’d been his mentor when Peeta’d first come to Panem. More than anyone, he understood what Peeta suffered when his family was lost. Haymitch had a similar story, and that had established a bond between them that was tighter than a regular boss/subordinate relationship.

“Come in,” Haymitch grumbled when Peeta knocked. Peeta crossed the room and sank into a chair to wait. His boss shuffled a stack of papers, scribbled a few sentences, and tapped on his keyboard for several moments before speaking.

“You coming back next summer?”

“Maybe. I mean, I could. Why?”

Haymitch didn’t stop typing as he nodded to a form on the corner of his desk. “Recommending you for a scholarship. Should cover the last year of grad school. You just have to be an employee the full academic year of the award.”

“Are you serious?” Peeta’s fingers itched to grab the application, but he couldn’t move his arms. Money to cover the last year of his master’s was too much to fathom, let alone believe he could actually have.

“Dead serious. Heavensbee called me and said Snow’s trying to up his image. He’s gotten some criticism recently, and he wants to look like a good employer.”

Peeta nodded, even though his head was spinning. Coriolanus Snow was the president of Panem Resorts, although he never made his way this far north, preferring to spend his time at his resorts in tropical climates. He’d recently been through a nasty divorce rife with rumors of abuse and infidelity that had made some in the business world leery of the magnate. Plutarch managed the North Carolina resort, although he spent most of his time locked away in his office. Haymitch and Effie Trinket, the social coordinator, ran the show and worked directly with the employees and guests. It was better that way.

“I— Thank you! This is… I don’t know what to say,” Peeta stuttered. The paper trembled in his hand once he finally picked it up, and he quickly dropped it to his lap so his shaking wasn’t noticeable.

“You’re welcome. Deadline’s in early August. We’ll move quicker than quick on the decisions once the applications are submitted, and you’re a shoo-in. Plutarch already said as much.”

“But why?” He hated to look a gift horse in the mouth, but he could think of fifteen other employees who could use the help as much as or more than he did.

“You’ve got a sob story a mile long, boy,” Haymitch grunted. “And you’re a damn good employee. Never had to worry about anything with you. You always do what you’re told and do it well. You deserve it.”

Peeta swallowed and nodded his thanks. He was halfway back to his cabin before he could breathe properly. Once there, he carefully tucked the application under the lid of his laptop and placed them both into his desk drawer. He’d fill it out sometime later in the week when he had some free time.

“Well, that was fun,” Johanna announced as she and Katniss made their way to the lodge for an afternoon snack. Katniss wasn’t all that hungry, but Jo didn’t seem to want to part ways just yet.

“It _was_ fun,” Katniss agreed. “Do you go to those classes often?”

“As often as I can. Peeta’s a tasty little snack to look at, but he’s also actually really talented and disgustingly nice to everyone who attends. It’s hard not to enjoy myself when I’ve got eye candy, some wine, and a pleasant guide. Besides, Darius runs the kid’s activities at the same time, so it’s not like I’ve got anything—or anyone—better to do.”

“Things are going well with Darius, then?” Katniss asked and glanced sideways at her friend who showed absolutely no signs of embarrassment or shame.

Jo winked at her and slung an arm over her shoulder to pull her in close. “If by well, you mean is my summer project turning out well? I’d say so. I’ve forgotten the, uh, skills of the youth.”

“Skills?”

“His recovery time is excellent.”

Katniss’ mouth gaped. She felt slightly unsteady, like she should understand the reference, but it was just out of her reach. “Recovery time?”

“His dick gets hard as a rock in seconds.”

Katniss stumbled over a crack in the sidewalk at Johanna’s boldness and almost fell on her face. She knew her skin had flushed to beet red, and it took her several seconds to recover her balance. She wasn’t a prude by any stretch of the imagination, but the blunt delivery of her friend’s words unsettled her. Darius was so young, close to Peeta’s age. It seemed almost scandalous to brag about sexual exploits with a twenty-something.

“Does that surprise you?”

“Yes! I mean, no. Not really. I don’t— I just— I don’t know,” Katniss babbled.

“Ah, here’s a table for two. Let’s do here. It’s out of the way.” Jo motioned for Katniss to sit and plunked into the chair opposite to survey her. “Been a while?”

“What?”

“Has it been a while since you got laid?”

Katniss opened her mouth to protest, but nothing came out. She wanted to protest, to say that it hadn’t been forever, that she was just fine sexually, thank you very much, but she couldn’t make a sound.

“That long, huh?”

She wanted to be offended, felt like she should be, but her lackluster, non-existent sex life was too real to deny.

“Yeah. A long while,” she whispered miserably and refused to look at her friend.

Johanna studied her for a few moments, and Katniss felt the blush that warmed her cheeks heat her neck and chest. She gratefully accepted the drink the waiter brought her and tried not to look like she wanted to sprint to her cabin and hide from the world.

“Maybe you should do something about that.”

Katniss bristled, but she knew Jo wasn’t being critical or judgmental. There was no reason for her to be. Instead, her friend clearly wanted the best for her. It just so happened that what Johanna thought was best for Katniss included sleeping with someone at Panem that summer.

“I don’t really know how,” she confessed. “I haven’t thought about dating in forever. Never had the time or the inclination when the world was falling apart around me. How do I flip the switch when it’s something I’ve trained myself not to even dream about for the past decade?”

“Decade?” Johanna screeched. “Decade? It’s been ten years?”

“Shhhh,” she hissed. “It hasn’t been that long. I had a friend or two in grad school that… Well, you know.”

“Friends with bennies?”

“Yeah.”

“Well, then, why are you holding out here? That’s what Darius is for me. What’s wrong with someone being that for you?”

“I just—”

“What about Bread Boy? He’s adorable. Gorgeous body. He’s so nice you know he’d treat you right, but he’s sassy, too. Just enough to make sure he’ll give it to you hard.”

“I don’t—”

“But if you do, you have to spill. Always wondered about that one. He’s the one that got away, and that doesn’t happen to Johanna Mason very often.” She gazed into space as she sipped her martini. Katniss would have laughed if she wasn’t just a little bit pissed that her friend was clearly fantasizing about the same man she’d dreamed about more than once over the past few weeks.

“As lovely as that would be, I just don’t think it’s going to happen.”

Johanna snapped to attention and focused her eyes into lasers. “Why not?”

“I get the vibe that he’s a rule follower. No fraternization with the guests and all that, right? If you can’t break him, what makes you think I can?”

“I’m not sure, but most of the fun’s in trying, isn’t it?”

“Maybe?”

“I don’t know. Bread Boy’s always kept his hands to himself, but you just might be the fiery little one to toast his buns. And wouldn’t that be the best thing to happen to you in years?”

Katniss didn’t answer, but she did accept another martini. She could tell by Johanna’s smug grin over her glass that her friend hadn’t given up on the idea of seducing Peeta Mellark or helping her to do it instead. The second option seemed like a much better idea to her.

“Ah, look. Alone together,” Annie teased as she leaned in and kissed Finnick. “And you were so worried about us never having a chance to make out again.”

He grinned at her and nuzzled behind her ear until she giggled. “Trust me, I’m still irritated we got interrupted last night. Especially since those asshats were the ones to do it.”

“Not to ruin our night, but speak of the devil.”

Finnick whipped his head to the left and saw Clove making her way out the door closest to Mr. Abernathy’s office with a smug look painted on her face. Finnick pulled them back into the shadows as they waited for her to pass, and they could hear her chuckle as she passed by them and headed back to the staff cabins.

“Well, that’s definitely not good,” he said. “There’s no way Clove with that face is going to be anything other than terrible.”

“Should we ask?”

“Do you actually want to speak to her?”

“God, no. Never. Who _would_ want to?”

“Maybe…” Annie cocked her head to look at him, and he allowed his thought to formulate. “She’s gonna go meet Cato. You know she is. Let’s follow and spy on them. Maybe she’ll spill.”

“Finn…”

“Annie,” he mouthed, kissed her cheek, grabbed her hand, and pulled her down the path to follow Clove, who ducked into the woods where Cato waited, just as he suspected. “Jack. Pot.”

“Gross,” Annie hissed as Clove and Cato kissed with a lot of tongue. So much tongue. Too much tongue. Finnick shivered when Clove licked Cato’s face.

“What the hell’s wrong with those two?”

“They’re just…terrible people.”

“Horny, terrible people.”

“Shhhh… They’re talking.”

“…think he bought it. I laid it on thick, and he’s suspicious now. He’s going to keep a closer eye on him.”

“Mellark’s toast then. If Abernathy’s going after him, then he’ll find something. Nobody’s as perfect as that bastard pretends to be. Something’s going on with him and that looker in Cabin 12. Something, and I’m tired of watching that fucker make the rest of us look like shit.”

“I don’t want to talk about him anymore,” Clove said as she pressed her body closer to Cato. “He’s taken up enough of our energy. I’d rather spend time focusing on us.”

Finnick whispered, “Time to go. No need to watch anything else they’re going to do because it’s all going to be sickening.”

When they were far enough away to avoid witnessing a sex act, Annie hissed, “What the hell were they talking about? What did Clove say to Haymitch?”

“I have no idea, but it’s not good for Peeta.”


	9. The Lake

Peeta slipped on a fresh t-shirt after his shower and toweled his hair dry. Following an early morning in the kitchen during which he prepared enough baked goods to feed an army, he’d managed to trade for an evening shift. As a result, he had until 7:00 pm free, and he figured he’d see if Katniss wanted to work more on the plant book. Grabbing the basketful of rolls and pastries he’d set aside for her that morning, he headed to her cabin as quickly and stealthily as possible. Although there was absolutely nothing wrong with what he was doing, he still didn’t want to draw any undue attention that might reflect poorly on Katniss or land him in any type of trouble.

In spite of his firm resolution not to give into temptation and mess around with the guests, Peeta was irrevocably and undeniably fascinated by Katniss Everdeen. It was gratifying and terrifying at the same time. Attraction to the opposite sex hadn’t been something he’d experienced seriously since Glimmer, and that feeling was back in droves when he looked at the older woman. Several years his senior, Katniss was sexy, confident, and authentic in a way he didn’t find too many women his age. He needed someone a little bit serious, and so many young women came across as flighty and fake to him. Or cruel. Clove was certainly all of those, and he shuddered when he thought about his latest run-in with the restaurant’s hostess. He made a note to try to avoid her altogether for the rest of the summer.

It only took a few minutes before he arrived at Cabin 12 and knocked on the door. No one answered. Katniss hadn’t mentioned any plans for the day, so he decided to wait at the edge of the woods until she returned.

Time passed slowly, but he wasn’t bored. Instead, he enjoyed the breeze that provided some relief from the sticky humidity of western North Carolina. He grew restless, so he wound through the trees and made his way down to the cabin’s private cove so he could dip his hands in the lake and splash a little water on his face to cool himself. He was almost there when he caught a glimpse of Katniss and stopped dead in his tracks.

She was in the water, lithe and graceful—and topless. Completely nude from the waist up. Holy. Fucking. Shit. Her tits broke the surface of the water, and he wanted to get his mouth on them. Immediately. And suck those dusky nipples into his mouth and bite them until she screamed. He wanted to bury his face in between them and motorboat her until she laughed. He wanted her to squeeze his cock in between them and let him titty fuck her until he came on her face. His mind betrayed him a million times in the few seconds he watched her floating in the lake. His disloyal body sprang to attention, and his shorts constrained his dick as it hardened and strained against the fabric.

There was nothing he wanted more than to join her in the water, take her in his arms, and drive her senseless. He couldn’t. There was no way, but he couldn’t remember craving anything more than he wanted her in that moment.

Carefully, he backed into the trees and hid from her view, but he couldn’t make himself stop watching. She was an excellent swimmer and dove and flipped and twirled for several minutes with blissful abandon. It took him a few minutes to realize she was skinny dipping, not just topless, and his mouth went dry when she lay on her back and moved her arms and legs like she was making a snow angel.

No one in the world would fault him for his lack of control if they’d witnessed what he was seeing. Unable to help himself, he slipped his hand down his pants and groaned softly in relief as his hand closed around his aching cock. He hadn’t gotten laid in so long, he’d almost forgotten how to do it, but he ached to relearn with her.

His palm caught on his shaft until he swirled the moisture at his tip down over the sides for a little lubrication. He bit his lip and shoved his waistband below his hips—just enough to allow his dick to spring free and smack him in the stomach. He braced himself against the tree and palmed himself, desperate for a release.

He probably looked like an asshole with a basket slung over his left arm, stiff-arming a tree, and jacking off to a naked woman who didn’t know he was there. He felt a rush of shame, but it was replaced almost immediately with heat that seared his insides.

“Stay quiet,” he mumbled and pumped his shaft so fast his fist blurred.

Katniss swam to the shore and rose in the shallows to cross to a towel and short robe. Water sluiced down her body, and he gritted his teeth as his insides clenched. His balls tightened and his cock swelled, and he choked on a low groan that burst from him at the same instant a rope of thick cream spattered the tree in front of him. His hips thrust forward as his strokes slowed, and he dropped his forehead against the tree and tried to even out his ragged breathing.

Katniss toweled off and shrugged into her robe before heading back to her cabin. She walked within feet of him, and he shrank back into the thick underbrush. Terrified she’d catch him playing Peeping Tom, he cursed himself for standing there with his softening dick hanging out of his pants.

“You are a sick fuck,” he muttered to himself once she was out of sight before straightening his clothes and sucking in deep breaths. He stayed hidden for several more minutes, then knelt at the edge of the lake and splashed water on his heated cheeks. He erased all evidence of his orgasm and rinsed his hands before shaking them dry. When his shaky legs had recovered enough to hold him, he headed to her cabin and knocked.

Katniss answered the door in her robe, and he fought to keep a flush from coloring his cheeks. He knew what was under there now, and he wasn’t sure he’d ever be able to look at her without remembering the curve of her breasts and the dark circles that ringed each nipple. Her genuine smile forced his eyes upward to her face, and he held out the basket to her.

“You seemed to appreciate the basket I sent a couple of weeks ago, so I brought another one,” he said with a grin.

“You sent that basket?” she yelped in surprise. “I thought that was from Johanna as an apology for getting me drunk at the pool.”

He couldn’t hold back his chuckle. “Ms. Mason wouldn’t think to apologize for getting someone drunk. Instead, she’d expect a thank you note for doing so.”

Her laugh sparkled in his ears, a sound so beautiful it sounded like music. “I’m gonna agree with you on that one,” she laughed. “I should have guessed it was from you. You were such a gentleman that night, and I was a complete mess. Staggering home drunk and tripping over my own feet and begging you to stay with me. I’m so sorry for putting you in that awkward position.”

Peeta’s cheeks flamed at her compliments. He certainly didn’t deserve her praise after what had happened earlier. He hadn’t been remotely chivalrous when he was beating off to her naked form in the water fifteen minutes ago.

“Ma’am—Katniss, I mean, it was no trouble. You’re not trouble. I’m happy to help you with your muffins—bring you muffins, I mean! Not your muffins. That’s so inappropriate. Oh, my god. Shut up, Mellark,” he babbled, completely mortified, until he bit the inside of his cheek to keep from speaking. He wanted to melt into a puddle and disappear through the cracks in the floor.

Her eyes flashed with humor, and he longed to pull her into his arms and kiss that gorgeous smirk off her face. “Can I offer you one of my muffins?” she asked, her eyes wide with faux innocence. “I can personally vouch that they taste delicious.”

“You’re so pure,” he returned, and grinned when her face fell a little. “For me, you’re perfect.”

“I am perfect,” she joked and waved him into her cabin. “Come on. We’ve got a plant book to finish. At least, I assume that’s why you’re here, right? Not just to make awkward baked good innuendos. Who makes this stuff, anyway? It’s so god damned good.”

“I do. I thought you knew. I’m the main baker here at Panem. It’s why I’m on the early shift almost every day and have a lot of afternoons and evenings free to help you,” he explained as he settled onto a barstool and picked a croissant from the basket.

“You made these?” she asked. “All of these pastries?”

“Of course.”

“But how… How do you know how to do all this?” She waved her arms around to indicate a lot of whatever “this” was.

“Let me get you some coffee,” he offered. “It’s a long story.”

“I like long stories.”

_And I like you_ , he thought, but he didn’t let it escape. He’d gotten too complacent, too relaxed with her. If the rest of the summer was anything like today, he was in big trouble. Maybe he already was.

* * *

Katniss settled at the bar and listened while Peeta talked. He had a great speaking voice, deep and sonorous and filled with humor and enthusiasm. He had a tiny accent that hinted at his Appalachian upbringing but that had been schooled into something a little more polished. His eyes glowed as he recounted memories of his childhood in the kitchen of his family’s bakery and sparkled with emotion when he related how the fire spread through the house and took away his entire world.

She reached for his hand when his lip trembled, and he choked on a sob. Grateful for her support, he wrapped his hand around hers and held it until he could gather enough strength to go on. His palm was warm against hers, and she idly wondered how it would feel for him to take her hand because he wanted, instead of needed, her presence.

“Panem offered me a place to use my baking skills that didn’t feel like I was betraying my family,” Peeta explained. “I have free reign to make whatever I want, and the resort doesn’t try to claim Mellark family recipes as their own. I retain full ownership of them, which is what my dad would have wanted. No reason to hoard them., but he would have hated selling them to a third party for a profit. I just couldn’t quite do that. I’m not the biggest fan of corporate America.”

Katniss watched the way he held his shoulders as he talked and the kindness in his eyes when he shared his story. He’d suffered an extreme amount of loss during his short life, more than she had in her first quarter century, but he managed to retain an openness she hadn’t been able to maintain. It was admirable. _He_ was admirable, and she squeezed his hand and offered a tremulous smile.

“Panem’s lucky to have you,” she said quietly. When his lips curved up into a crooked smile, she added, “I’m fortunate to have run into you while I’m here.”

“Always giving me grief about how we met,” he chided but softened his reproach with a wink. “I’ll never quite forgive myself for not paying attention that morning, but I’m happy to have made your acquaintance, Ms. Everdeen.”

“Katniss.”

“Yes, Katniss. I was teasing.”

She held his gaze just a little bit too long, and it made her want to launch herself across the table at him. His white t-shirt hugged every inch of his torso, and she could practically see the muscles that rippled under the fabric. His hair was just a little bit too long, and those curls tumbled over his ears and down the nape of his neck and begged to be finger-combed and yanked by someone who wanted him. She cleared her throat and stood abruptly.

“I’m sorry, Peeta. I’ve lost my manners,” she said, half-breathless. “Let me just change out of this suit, and we can get to work on the book. If you want tea, I’ll put some on in just a minute. Make yourself comfortable. Have a muffin. I mean, you made them after all. They’re yours anyway.”

_Stop talking_. _Now_!

She reprimanded herself internally and exited the kitchen hastily. Pulling the bedroom door behind her, she fanned herself a few times before hopping in the shower and rinsing the lake water from her body. She dried herself and slipped on a t-shirt and leggings. She hoped her casual appearance would put him at ease. He seemed a little uptight.

Peeta hadn’t waited for her, she realized when she re-entered the living area. The tea kettle whistled on the stove, and he’d chosen an almond croissant from the basket for her and a bear claw for himself. No muffins in sight except his perfectly rounded ass.

“Cream? Sugar?” he asked, and she smiled gratefully.

“No cream.” When he handed her the mug, his fingers brushed hers gently and a jolt of electricity shot up her arm. She smiled when he dunked his tea bag into the mug of hot water in front of him. He always drank his with no sugar.

“All right. What’s our project for today?”

She waved at a stack of papers on the far side of the counter. “I thought maybe we’d start the edible plants portion today.”

“Seems appropriate,” he said and gestured at their snack.

Katniss settled back to watch him work, content just to spend time with him. They shared a companionable silence for over an hour as she sorted information and he drew and shaded the sketches. The sun filtered through the French doors and painted his features with golden light.

Peeta finished sketching a primrose and pushed the illustration across the table for Katniss to inspect. She glanced at the drawing and then up at him. His lashes caught the late afternoon sun and tangled together. They were so long, and Katniss wondered how he managed to open his eyes under the weight of their beauty.

And Peeta was a beautiful man. Inside and out.

Despite their first meeting, Peeta had proven to be not just a good person and a fantastic employee but a really good friend. They’d been working together for almost a month, and she’d enjoyed every second of it. In fact, she’d liked every moment of their time together after his apology.

“Are you working tonight?” she asked after admiring his sketch.

“At seven,” he responded. He sorted a stack of information absently and then glanced at her. “I’m sorry. Why do you ask?”

“No reason,” she shrugged. “Just wondered how much longer you were planning to stay.”

She was lying. She wanted him to stay for dinner. And then for conversation after. And to remain overnight. And then wake up next to her the next morning. It was inappropriate and wrong and a stupid thing to hope for with him. He was too young for her. Too earnest and ethical to break the rules, but she wanted him to bend them for her. She wanted to be enough to tempt him. If she were Johanna Mason, she’d have the confidence to make a cheeky comment and let him know she was interested. Instead, she was Katniss Everdeen, shy and awkward and unable to express her own needs without tripping over her thoughts and garbling her words.

“I’ll come back tomorrow,” he assured her, and she realized she wanted that more than she cared to admit.

* * *

“Hey, Annie.”

“Peeta,” she said warmly and pulled him into a quick hug. “I haven’t seen you at all over the past few days. Where’ve you been hiding?”

He blushed and concentrated on his feet as he shifted from one to the other. “Oh, you know. Around.”

“Around, huh?”

“Yeah.

She studied him for a few moments since he wasn’t looking at her. He was clearly attempting to work up to saying something, and Annie repressed a laugh. Peeta was never awkward. He was one of the most personable people she’d ever met, which was why his behavior so far this summer had been so interesting. First, he’d picked a fight with one of the guests. Then he’d pouted and refused to address the situation. Now, he spent almost all his free time with her when he’d never before shown preferential treatment for any Panem guest. It was obvious there was something special about her that drove Peeta to such uncharacteristic behavior, and he’d only spent more time hiding his feelings since he and Katniss had become close friends.

“Peeta, have you been spending some time with our guest in Cabin 12?”

“What? No! I mean… Well, yeah, but it’s only because of the plant book. She asked— I mean, she wanted—”

Annie watched him stammer and protest for a bit before taking pity on him. She stopped him with a hand on his wrist and waited for him to focus on her face before speaking.

“There’s nothing wrong with spending time together,” she said softly. “You volunteered to do something nice for her, and she accepted your offer. You do your work, everything that’s asked of you and a lot more. You’re a great employee, and you’ve proven your loyalty to Panem Resorts over years of work. Enjoy it, Peeta. You don’t have to keep making excuses to me. I’m on your side. You’re worthy of it. No one deserves some happiness more than you do.”

“Except maybe her,” he mumbled, and Annie hid a smirk quickly before he could see it.

“Yeah, except maybe her.”

He looked at her, his eyes desperate, and lifted his hands helplessly. “What am I doing, Annie? This is insane.”

“What’s so insane? Enjoying time with someone? When’s the last time you let yourself go and just hung out with someone of the opposite sex?”

“She’s older than me.”

“She doesn’t seem to think it’s a big deal, and we both know you’re an old soul. Besides, you’re hanging out, not sleeping together.”

“What?” he blurted. “I mean, yeah, just hanging out.”

“You haven’t…You’re not… Peeta?” she asked, hoping maybe he’d finally given in and crossed the proverbial line with Katniss. The two had been circling each other for a month. It was time one of them made a move.

“No! God, no,” he insisted. “Not that she’s not gorgeous or that I don’t want to or— Not that I _do_ want to. It’s just, she’s just, I don’t know… There’s just something about her.”

“She’s very special,” Annie suggested.

“She has no idea the effect she has,” he breathed, and she smiled at him.

“Maybe someone should tell her,” she prodded. “Maybe someone like you.”

He hunched his shoulders and shook his head. “I couldn’t.”

“You could.”

“I already offended her once this summer, Annie. What if I did it again?” His insecurity rang through in his shaky voice. “What if she reported me for inappropriate advances or…or…or… God, what if she left?”

Annie put her arm around him and walked from the corner of the lobby where they’d been speaking to a private spot in the hallway leading to the kitchen.

“She’s paid through the season, hon. Finnick already told you she’s here on a mandatory work break, and she chose Panem because she used to come here as a child with her family. Besides, don’t you think you two are past the possibility of her turning on you? You’ve become good friends since you apologized to her. That was weeks ago.” Annie looked at him, her heart shining in her eyes, and tried to give him the rest of the push he needed. “She’s as lonely as you and has lost just as much. You don’t have to do anything, but I think you could both be good for each other. You know I’ve already said that. Several times.”

“I don’t know,” he said miserably. “I wasn’t expecting her this summer.”

“No one expects it when life hands you exactly what you need, especially when you’re used to getting only the bad.”

Peeta smiled and leaned over to kiss her on the cheek. “I’ll think about it,” he promised. “I’m heading to my shift. Catch you later. And Annie?”

“Yeah?”

“Thank you.”

“For what?”

“For caring so much. I’m still not used to it.”

“I know, Peet. I know. Maybe this summer is when things turn around for you.”

He gave her a sweet grin as he walked away. “Maybe this summer. That’d be nice.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for your comments on this story so far. My apologies for not responding sooner, but I've read every one. I'll be responding from the beginning soon. Hope this chapter gave you a little taste of what's to come. <3


	10. Telephone Game

“I think the book’s coming along well.” Peeta glanced at Katniss across the table and wiped excess charcoal from the page.

“Pretty soon you won’t even need to come by anymore,” she replied lightly, and his stomach dropped.

“I guess that’s…” He paused and set his pencil down while he tried to gain control. His mind reeled and heart pounded at the thought of not spending his free time in Cabin 12. “I hadn’t— I mean, I’m sure it’ll be nice for you to have more time to…do what you do.”

The silence stretched between them for several minutes as he picked up his pencil and finished his sketch. He couldn’t articulate his hurt, but his physiological response was one of intense stress.

“Sure,” she responded, and he couldn’t tell if her voice was choked or not.

He contemplated the situation briefly when she didn’t elaborate. This was the perfect opportunity to address their situation, but he lost his nerve. He still wasn’t sure exactly where he stood other than recognizing that he was attracted to her, but he still felt duty bound to follow Panem’s Code of Conduct and refuse to fraternize with the guests. Additionally, Katniss had given him no reason to believe she was into him other than being open and kind and grateful for his help on the plant book. How could he risk saying something would damage the fragile friendship they’d built when both of them came from such deep places of hurt and woundedness?

“What exactly do we have left?” he asked and breathed a sigh of relief when the tension in the room dissipated. Uncertainty filled the air, but her shoulders didn’t hold the same tautness as they had minutes before.

She sifted through a stack of papers listing flowering plants, leaves, and weeds before handing him a list of tuber plants. “I think that’s the rest of it. Not too many. We can probably finish that up by the Fourth of July.”

“Sure.”

His reply was quiet, but he worked hard to keep his disappointment from showing. There was no reason for him to be upset about finishing the plant book. He’d offered to help her in order to make up for his rude behavior at the beginning of the summer, not to get closer to her. Just because his attraction had grown over the past few weeks didn’t mean he was any more willing to flaunt the rules than he had been when they’d first met.

“So, I’m curious,” he finally managed. “Earlier this summer you said you were here because you were on a forced vacation. You didn’t seem thrilled about that. Has your time here been better than you expected?”

“Are you asking as an employee of Panem?” she asked, her voice whisper soft.

He shrugged and winked at her. He could only reason that their dwindling time together pushed him to be a little bolder. “As opposed to what? I am a Panem employee.”

“As opposed to asking as my friend.”

Surprised, he raised his eyes and caught her gaze. He saw vulnerability and uncertainty in hers, and he couldn’t stand knowing he’d helped put that there. No matter what, he wanted her to feel like she could count on him for acceptance. That she doubted his affection in any way hurt his insides in a way he didn’t fully understand.

“Of course, I’m your friend,” he replied, his voice raw and longing echoing in the room. “Always.”

Something shifted in the air between them. He saw the storm gather in her eyes as they darkened from overcast gray to the charcoal of a thunderstorm. Her lips parted in a surprised gasp, and her shoulders straightened the tiniest fraction at his reassurance that she mattered to him as more than the guest in Cabin 12. Seconds stretched to minutes as they stared at each other. When she finally spoke, her voice broke over him like waves in the ocean—buoying him at the same time the pull threatened to tug him under and drown him.

“The entire summer has been better than expected,” she admitted without breaking eye contact. “I thought I’d come here and reconnect with some childhood memories, remember my sister when she was alive and well and safe. I’d take some samples and do some work and not really be on vacation. But running into you kind of changed everything.”

Her hand lay on the table only a few inches from his, and his fingers twitched as he fought the urge to take it and wrap them together. His throat was dry, his heart pounded in his chest, and he fought with everything he had to stay calm beneath the table. The scorching look she threw him shot straight to his dick, which had chubbed up and was threatening to tent his pants if he didn’t remove himself from the situation soon.

He couldn’t help himself, though. He wanted to hear it from her lips. Those gorgeous, full, lush lips that shone when she ran the tip of her tongue nervously over them. He wanted to kiss them, kiss her, until a moan fell from between them and into his mouth. Until his name emerged like a prayer he answered with his tongue.

“How did I change everything?”

She swallowed twice before answering, and Peeta waited impatiently for her to give him something that would absolve him of his sinful thoughts. And they were sinful. In a flash, he imagined everything he wanted to do to her. Every filthy, carnal, lewd way he’d use her body until they both broke.

“You gave me a purpose.”

His heart didn’t shatter, but it cracked the tiniest amount. Despite her healing over the past few weeks, Katniss was still so desperately broken, entirely vulnerable, and aching for companionship. The need to protect her overwhelmed him, and he realized how urgently he needed to leave her cabin before he did something to betray her trust.

“I’m glad,” he said with a smile, genuine with a touch of sadness, and rose from his chair. “I should go. Early shift tomorrow, as always. Need my beauty sleep.”

Disappointment flashed across her features before she had a chance to school them. She nodded curtly and rose along with him. She followed him to the door, and he reached forward to pull her into a gentle hug.

Electricity shot through him as her chest pressed against his, and she nuzzled closer before he had a chance to push her from him. Her breath puffed against his neck, and he allowed her to melt against him briefly before rearing back to look at her.

Katniss stared at him, soft and beautiful and perfect. Her mouth invited him to lean in, only a few inches between them. He could hear the crickets outside and the dull roar of a boat motor on the lake. Her face was bathed in shadows, and her scent intoxicated him as it mixed with the sharp tang of a North Carolina summer night.

He could do it if he bent forward just a fraction. It wouldn’t take more than him tilting his head to take what he wanted. She blinked slowly and lazily and bit her bottom lip, making it plump up and beg for him to soothe it with his tongue.

“I can’t,” Peeta wheezed. “I want to, but I can’t.”

“Me neither.”

“You’re a guest,” he insisted.

“You’re too young. This would never work,” she agreed.

“It’s…wrong.”

That’s what his mouth said, but the heat from her body did nothing to refute his words. She seemed right against him. She felt like he’d found a family again. She looked like a home he hadn’t had since that terrible night when his family and livelihood had been cruelly ripped from his world.

His eyes slid closed, and his forehead found hers. Pressed together, they stood frozen, unable to bridge the distance and unwilling to part. With a groan, he finally tore himself from her and lifted his hand to tug at the tip of her braid.

“I have to go. I have to.”

“I know,” she breathed.

“I need a few days,” he confessed. “I can’t... I just— _Fuck_!”

He broke from her and bolted through the door. Without thinking, he turned and stumbled along the path the opposite way from the staff cabins. He needed time to think, to feel, to absorb what had just happened. As his thoughts raced, he walked faster until he fell into a jog and then ran until he was deep in the woods, far away from where anyone would be this late in the evening.

He staggered to a stop and ducked behind a massive oak that spread its branches over him like a guardian angel. Devastated, he banged his head against the trunk a few times before tucking his hand in his pants. The sound he made was indecent as he cupped himself. He was rigid in seconds, and it only took a few tugs before white ropes of his release stained the bark. Frustrated and half-disgusted, he sank to the ground.

“What the fuck am I going to do now?” he grumbled, but there was no answer.

* * *

The screen slammed behind Peeta as he fled, and she slumped against the door frame as his form disappeared into the darkness.

“What just happened?” she breathed as her head spun and her heart thumped in her chest.

He’d almost kissed her. His mouth had been centimeters from hers. His muscled chest had been pressed to hers, and she was positive he’d been semi-hard against her thigh. Peeta Mellark, who she’d hated when he ran into her on the path and knocked her samples from her hands, had almost kissed her, and she’d wanted him to so badly she felt it every bone in her body.

The cabin felt cavernous without him there talking to and teasing her, without his broad shoulders and charming smile, without his sparkling blue eyes and ashy blonde curls that fell across his forehead. She wanted to tangle her fingers in those curls and pull him against her until his mouth… God, his mouth.

She wanted him. There was no getting around it at this point, no point in denying what she felt and desired. She could almost feel his hard body in her arms and his lips scorching a wet trail down her neck to her collarbone and then down to lave at her…

“Fuck me,” she whimpered and fled to her bedroom.

Flopping on the bed, she grabbed her vibrator from the bedside table and flicked it on. The current went straight to her center, and she moaned his name when she took it inside. Alternating between burying it inside and stimulating her clit, she bucked and arched her back as her thighs quivered and shook as her climax built.

The vibrator was good, but she wanted more. She wanted the feel of his warm skin against hers, rubbing together as a sheen of sweat lubricated their bodies. The silicone wasn’t flesh and blood, and the artificial heat from the batteries wasn’t as satisfying as a turgid, throbbing cock pounding into her and drilling her into the mattress.

It wasn’t enough. It just wasn’t because it wasn’t him, and she wanted him more than she’d ever wanted anyone. She tensed and pushed in further and rubbed harder and held her breath until—

Finally.

Her cry ripped from her, and her eyes rolled back in her head as she pulsed and twisted and squeezed her legs together. The insides of her thighs slickened with moisture, and the vibrator slid freely with the added lubrication from her orgasm. When she came back to herself, she lay huffing and spent. Her blood sang in her veins, and she stretched her muscles to release the lingering tension.

She needed to clean up, but she was too languid to move. Just as she worked up the energy, her phone rang.

“Gale. Hi.”

“Hey, Catnip. How’s it going? I haven’t heard from you for a while. Panem keeping you busy?”

Katniss grinned and shifted her legs to squish the liquid between her thighs. There was something sinfully erotic about having a conversation with her best friend when she was marked by her arousal for another man. It almost felt like getting caught. That was a kink she hadn’t even known she had until that very moment. Definitely something to explore in the future, but at the moment, her best friend waited patiently for her reply.

“You could say that, yes,” she joked. “It’s been busier than I thought it would be.”

“All work and no play, or have you finally embraced the option of letting your hair down and relaxing a little bit?”

“Something like that, yes.”

“Glad to hear it,” he grunted. “It’s about time, and you deserve it.”

“Thanks, Gale. What’s—I mean, why the phone call? Just checking on me, or has something happened at home?”

“I wanted to check with you about this weekend.”

“This weekend?”

“Our visit?”

“What are you talking about, Gale?” she asked, too out of it to attempt to follow his train of thought.

He chuckled at her confusion and reminded her, “Did you forget Madge and I were planning to come stay at Panem for a couple of weeks on the Fourth?”

Katniss bolted upright in bed and clapped her hand over her mouth. She had completely forgotten their phone call at the beginning of the summer during which Gale had informed her that he and his wife planned to spend the holiday with her.

“I’m so sorry! I didn’t exactly forget,” she hedged, “but it had kind of slipped my mind over the past several weeks. When will you get here?”

“That’s better,” he teased, apparently mollified by her rambling explanation. “We’ll be there the day after tomorrow. I just wanted to make sure you didn’t need anything from your house before we left. I’m happy to stop by and pick up some things if you’d like.”

Katniss mentally rifled through the inventory of her place to see if there was anything she’d missed since she’d arrived at the resort, but she couldn’t really think of anything. She could maybe use another swimsuit, but it seemed a little strange to ask her best friend—her male best friend—to root around in her intimates and bring her the string bikini that was hidden there. That seemed beyond the pale, but she did kind of want to see if she could get a reaction out of Peeta should she happen to wear it.

“Uh… Well…”

“Do I need to put my wife on the line instead?”

“That wouldn’t be the worst thing,” she said, grateful he understood her hesitation.

“Okay, well, we’ll see you soon, Catnip. Here she is.”

“Katniss! How are you? You’ve been gone forever.”

“So good to hear your voice, Madge,” she gushed, and she wasn’t lying. Madge and she had been good friends before Gale and she got together, and it had been one of the great joys of Katniss’ life to see her two best friends fall in love with and marry each other. She was still waiting for them to give her honorary nieces and nephews, but they didn’t seem to be in any rush to add children to their family.

“What’s going on?” Madge asked, her voice dropping into an urgent whisper. “What do I need to keep from Gale?”

“Nothing,” she laughed. “I just didn’t want to ask him to dig in my underwear drawer and grab the string bikini tucked into the back, left corner. It’s kind of an emerald green color.”

“Yeah, that makes sense. I’m on it. One skimpy swimsuit coming up. Can’t wait to see you on Friday.”

“You, too. See you then.”

After they hung up, Katniss gingerly made her way to the bathroom and rinsed off in the shower. The timing of her friends’ visit couldn’t be better. After what had happened between her and Peeta earlier, she needed the distraction from time alone with him in her cabin. Both Gale and Madge were amazing people, and she couldn’t wait to spend time with them individually and as a couple.

Determined to get a handle on the strange yearnings she’d developed for a man eight years her junior, she dried off and climbed into bed. It was time to explore other aspects of Panem instead of closing herself off to anything but him. With that plan in mind, she drifted off to sleep.

* * *

“Hello, Annie.”

“Ms. Everdeen, how nice to see you today. What can I do for you?” Annie raised her hand and smiled at the guest. “I’m sorry. Katniss. You’ve already asked me to use your first time instead of your title. My apologies.”

Katniss waved her off with a flick of her wrist and leaned on the counter to grin at the redhead. Annie had quickly become one of her favorite people at Panem since she’d arrived.

“Not a big deal. I’d never hold it against you.”

“Well, I know you were a little tense about your name the first few weeks you got here. Peeta Mellark seemed to have really pushed your buttons about it.” Annie smiled gently at the guest and gave herself an internal high-five as the other woman blushed at the memory. “I wouldn’t want to be on the bad list the way he is. Was.”

“Was,” Katniss confirmed. “Peeta and I have…brokered a truce since that day. Bad first impressions lead to all sorts of misunderstandings.”

“A truce? That sounds wonderful. I’m so glad you and Peeta are able to co-exist peacefully. He really is a wonderful co-worker, and he’s always had a special way with guests. I’m glad he’s redeemed himself in your eyes.”

Annie bit the inside of her cheek and tried to keep from laughing. Katniss obviously didn’t want to reveal how much time she and Peeta spent together, but Finnick and she both knew the two had passed a number of afternoons and evenings together. She hoped she hadn’t laid it on too thick, but Katniss seemed unaware of Annie’s insight into her life.

“He’s been very helpful during my stay here. Speaking of that, my best friend and his wife are arriving on Friday, and I wanted to see if there was a way to arrange for a basket of Peeta’s—I mean, baked goods—to be waiting for them in their cabin when they arrive.”

“Of course! I’d be happy to make the arrangements for delivery. Can I get a name on the reservation?”

“Hawthorne. Gale and Madge.”

Annie clicked through a few screens and found the booking. She marked a box, and then gave her full attention to Katniss. “Anything in particular you’d like included in the basket? Perhaps some cheese buns? Those are Peeta’s specialty, although he’s an excellent baker and everything he makes is wonderful.”

“He really is,” Katniss agreed, and Annie couldn’t keep the twinkle from her eye. She doubted the other woman had even recognized her Freudian slip. Annie was more convinced than ever that Cabin 12 and the head baker were attracted to each other.

“I’ll just ask for a variety, then. Is that acceptable?”

Once Katniss agreed and left, Annie grabbed the radio and directed Finnick to report to the front desk immediately. When he arrived, she sing-songed, “I know something you don’t know.”

“What’s that, darling? Can I call you darling at work? Is that okay?”

She smacked him on the arm and leaned in so she could keep her voice low. “Katniss stopped by. She’s definitely into Peeta as much as he’s interested in her. No question in my mind, although she’s certainly not going to admit it any time soon.”

“Spill it,” he ordered and tickled her waist until she squirmed away from him.

“Katniss has a friend coming to stay at Panem for a week starting this Friday. A male friend who happens to be very important to Katniss. She arranged for a basket of baked goods to be delivered on the first day of the stay.” When Finnick’s face clouded over, she waved away his worry. “A male friend who happens to be married to someone else, but Peeta doesn’t have to know that.”

“Peeta doesn’t have to…” Finnick trailed off and grinned at his fiancée. “You are a brilliant woman.”

“I think so too,” she grinned at him. “So, maybe Peeta delivers a basket to this male best friend and realizes he has some competition. I can count on you to distract the wife, right?”

“Sweetheart, I’ve got it on lock. Poor Peeta. He won’t know what hit him.”

“I almost feel sorry for him.”

“Don’t. He needs something to shake up his world. She’s into him. He’s into her. They’re good for each other. It’s time to act on it.”

“And we’re just the couple to help them along.”

“Yes, my dear Annie, we absolutely are.”


	11. Storm Front

“Mr. and Mrs. Hawthorne, we’re so happy to have you here at Panem Resorts for the next two weeks,” Annie greeted the couple with a blinding smile. “I hear you’re friends with Ms. Everdeen, who’s been staying with us for the past several weeks. She’s lovely. So glad you could join her here for the holiday.”

“Lovely,” Gale chuckled. “That’s not exactly the word we’d use for Katniss, but it’s great she’s made such a good impression around here.”

Madge nudged him in the stomach and shook her head at Annie. “Don’t mind him. Gale and Katniss have been friends for years. Sometimes I think they knew each other in the womb. They bicker like school children, but they love each other like crazy. And Katniss is definitely lovely, even if this one here will never admit it.”

“Glad to hear Ms. Everdeen has such good friends. She’s one of my favorites here this summer. Hoping she’ll turn into a career after her visit.”

“A career?” Madge asked.

“I apologize,” Annie answered with a smile as she typed on the keyboard to complete the Hawthorne’s check-in process. “We refer to those who repeat their stay year after year at Panem as careers.”

“What’s a one-time guest called?” Gale asked, amusement brimming beneath the surface.

“A tribute. I’m not really sure why. It’s just the vocabulary we use among the staff.”

“I like it,” he answered and took the paperwork Annie handed him. “We’re looking forward to our stay.”

“Mrs. Hawthorne, I wonder if I could interest you in a complimentary massage to relax from your travels,” Annie offered. “It’s not customary for all guests, but since you’re such a good friend of Ms. Everdeen, I think we can make an exception and introduce you to the amenities of the resort right away. Since you’re only here for two weeks, we want to make sure you’re able to experience all the perks of being a guest.”

“Please call me Madge,” she insisted and hooked her thumb at her husband, “and him Gale. There’s no need to be formal.”

“Yes, Madge. Whatever makes your stay more comfortable is fine with me. Can I get you headed toward that massage?”

Madge quirked her eyebrow at Gale, and he waved his agreement and kissed her on the cheek. “Have a good time, sweetheart. I’ll get us settled in the cabin and catch up with Katniss. Love you.”

Annie gestured to the woman waiting to escort Madge to the spa and turned her attention back to Gale. “Would you like help to your cabin with the bags? I can call someone. It’s no trouble.”

“That’s okay,” he assured her with a wide smile. “We’re only here a couple of weeks, so we didn’t bring more than a few hundred bags. I’m fine on my own.”

“Are you sure? We have plenty of people to help.”

“No, really,” he answered with a winsome smile. “If you’ll point me in the right direction…”

Annie traced the route on a printed map of the resort and handed it to him. She watched him walk away and gestured frantically to Finnick, who was skulking around the lobby, as soon as Gale moved out of sight.

“He’s going to the cabin,” she hissed.

“And did you see that ass?” Finnick added. “Peeta’s gonna think he’s got some major competition with that guy. Perfect person to make him jealous.”

“We are brilliant. Get Peeta headed there with a basket in five minutes. I’ll call Cabin 12 to let her know her friends are here. It’s the perfect storm.”

“Gale force wind in the forecast. Pun fully intended.” Annie rolled her eyes and dialed Cabin 12.

“Ms. Everdeen, good morning. Your friends have arrived. I thought you might want to say hello.”

* * *

Peeta knocked on the door of Cabin 13 and shifted from one foot to the other impatiently. He had no idea how he’d gotten roped into making this delivery. He had a million other things he needed to do in the kitchen before he shifted from his role as baker to instructing a drawing class. Surely Annie could have found someone else to take the basket of pastries to the resort’s newest guest.

The door swung open, and Peeta took a half-step back and nearly stumbled off the porch. Shaken, he swallowed hard and then gaped at the hulking man standing there. He sported a thick head of dark hair and broad shoulders. His eyes pierced through Peeta, and it was only when he’d blinked several times that he finally processed that they were the exact shade of Katniss’ when she smiled at him.

“Mr. Hawthorne?” Peeta practically squeaked, and he berated himself internally for acting like a punk ass kid in front of this man. He was a giant.

“Gale. Jesus, what is going on here? I cannot stay anywhere for two entire weeks if people keep calling me Mr. Hawthorne. I’m 35, not 100.”

Peeta’s mouth hung open for a second as he tried to make sense of what the man—Gale—had said. When that didn’t happen, he lifted the basket he held and offered it as a truce.

“Welcome to Panem Resorts.”

“Thanks. What’s this?” Gale asked as he took the proffered gift. “Bread?”

“Pastries,” Peeta said, his tone biting. “We have a pastry chef on staff. These are from his bakery.”

“So, this is a welcome basket?”

“Of sorts, yes.”

“Neat. Thanks again,” Gale said and set the basket on the counter.

Unsure what to do, Peeta stood awkwardly for a few seconds before adding lamely, “We hope you enjoy your stay here. Is there anything else I can help you with?”

“Actually, there is. Any idea where Cabin 12 is? I assume it’s close because of the proximity of the numbers, but I have no idea which way to go.”

“Cabin 12?”

“Yeah,” Gale said absently as he shuffled a few things on the kitchen counter. “I’m here to see the woman who’s staying there.”

“You’re here to see— I mean, sure. Yes. Happy to help.” Peeta swallowed around the sudden lump in his throat. Pointing down the pathway, he explained how to find the cabin and turned to head back to the lodge.

“Hold on a second,” Gale said, and Peeta turned around in surprise. “Are you headed that way? Mind walking with me? Might as well be sure I make it to the right place.”

“Uh, yeah, okay.”

He couldn’t remember the last time he’d felt so uncomfortable than during the short walk to Katniss’ cabin. Gale rambled along, confident and sure of himself, as he commented on the flora and fauna around them. When they turned the corner and Cabin 12 appeared, Katniss had just exited and stepped off her porch. Katniss, normally reserved and a little reticent, squealed when she saw them and bolted into Gale’s arms. He caught her and twirled her in circles for what seemed like forever. Peeta wanted to murder him.

“I can’t believe you’re here! I’m so excited to see you. Thank you for coming.” The words tumbled from her, and Peeta gawked at her as she babbled.

“Calm down, Catnip,” Gale laughed. “We have two weeks. I’m not going to disappear tomorrow.”

“Catnip,” Peeta muttered under his breath. Fucking bastard had a nickname for her and everything.

“Peeta!” Katniss cried once her feet returned to the ground. His name on her lips seemed tainted as she stood in the circle of another man’s arms. “Gale, meet Peeta Mellark. He’s been…uh, assisting me the past few weeks with a project.”

Assisting her with a project. Like the good little helper he was. She made him sound like a toddler.

“Ah, that explains things then,” Gale laughed, and Peeta resisted the urge to punch him in the face. He balled his fists and held his breath before letting it out in slow, small puffs.

Katniss studied him for a few seconds, and Peeta held her gaze with a steely look of his own. Condescension rankled him like few other things did, and he wanted to see if she’d defend him or not.

“You’re by yourself?” Katniss asked as she glanced over Gale’s shoulder.

Peeta’s face flushed, and anger rushed through his veins. Was he invisible now? Next to Gale, maybe he was, but that seemed an abrupt turnaround for Katniss after the time they’d spent together since she’d arrived. He’d always known that the summer would end and Katniss would leave, but to be slapped in the face with a glimpse into the life she’d already established before they’d met… It was a hard pill to swallow, and suddenly Peeta felt very much like a child who’d stumbled into an adult conversation and didn’t know half the vocabulary.

“Yup,” Gale replied, and Peeta fought the urge to murder him. “Alone time. Let’s go.”

Katniss took Gale’s hand and pulled him into her cabin. Before she closed the door, she turned back and called a cheerful goodbye to him. The incongruity between her behavior and words infuriated him, and he threw up a mock salute before storming back to the lodge and the refuge of his kitchen. Fuming, he slammed pans against the countertops as he cleaned. The banging did nothing but give him a headache.

Finally, he couldn’t take it anymore. He ripped off his apron and almost sprinted to his cabin where he threw himself down on his bunk and full-on pouted. If he had somewhere private, he would have thrown a tantrum—more so than he already had.

“Gale Hawthorne,” he spit and tugged his phone from his pocket. Who was this joker, and why did he strut like a peacock? A quick search on his search engine answered that question quickly.

Peeta scanned the man’s CV and his heart sank with every accolade. A PhD from Georgia Tech in biology, Rhodes scholar, a list of publications in some of the top scientific journals, and multiple grants to fund his work. Gale Hawthorne was a fucking genius who worked with Katniss in her field. He glanced over an article that gushed over a collaboration the two had done on soil composition and fertilizer levels that had the potential to reduce carcinogens and save the planet, if he understood correctly.

In short, the new guest was everything Peeta was not—reputable, successful, older, and already an established part of Katniss’ life outside of her summer sanctuary.

He didn’t feel like a fool often, but he did now. Peeta’s face flushed a deep red. He was usually so careful to temper his expectations and hopes, to not assume a connection with anyone or anything until he was sure of its authenticity. At first, he’d done the same thing with her, cautiously offering his services for the plant book and slowly exploring their friendship. He’d even managed to keep his attraction to her under control for quite a while. It was only that last visit to her cabin when they’d been so close to stepping over the line that he’d felt as if he was out of his depth.

He’d been completely unaware of his delusions. He’d convinced himself he mattered to someone when he clearly did not.

Peeta didn’t have long before he had to head to his next assignment, but he knew he couldn’t teach drawing without biting heads off if he didn’t curb the anger and resentment that coursed through him. If he hurried, he’d have just enough time for a quick, hard run and a cold shower. It wasn’t his first choice for a Friday, but it’d have to do.

* * *

“So…”

Katniss winced and turned to face Gale with one eyebrow raised. “So?”

“So, that’s Peeta Mellark.” His smile almost split his face, and his eyes twinkled at her.

“Damn you, Gale. You didn’t even know he existed until fifteen minutes ago. Wipe that smirk off your face.”

He crossed the room and sank into a chair. Propping an elbow on the table, he gestured for her to join him and refused to speak until she looked at him.

“You’re into him.”

“I am not!” she protested, but the heat flushing her face gave her away immediately.

“You. Are,” he observed with a smirk. “You are absolutely smitten with this kid. How old is he, anyway? Twenty-one?”

“No! God, what kind of person do you think I am?”

“How old?” When she didn’t answer, he mused, “He can’t be anywhere close to thirty.”

“He’s twenty-five,” she grumbled, and he nodded slowly as he tapped his chin with the tips of his fingers.

“Interesting. Interesting, interesting, interesting.”

“You’re such a jerk sometime,” she snapped and attempted to rise, but he snagged her wrist and motioned her back into her seat.

“Come on, Catnip,” he chided. “I’m on your side. I always have been. I’m just processing information. You want to talk about it?”

“There’s nothing to talk about,” she insisted stubbornly.

“I don’t think that’s true. I know you, Katniss. I’ve known you for years, and there’s something between you and this guy.”

She sighed heavily and dropped her shoulders, which had been around her ears since the moment Peeta had almost kissed her in her cabin earlier in the week. Finally, there was someone she trusted who knew and loved her who she could confide in about the situation in which she’d found herself—one that was new and scary and definitely not her comfort zone. She’d never been attracted to someone so much younger, someone who was in an entirely different place in his life than her own established career. And she feared it was more than attraction. If she’d admit it to herself, she knew she had real feelings for him, too.

“I met Peeta when I first came to Panem. I’d been here for a few days when I decided to gather some samples in The Woods to take back to the lab when I left here,” she began. “He was out for a morning run and slammed into me, knocked all my samples to the ground, and I— Well, I lost it. Yelled at him and put up a wall, because that’s what I do when someone new stumbles into my life.”

“You do that. That’s true,” he agreed. “Go on.”

“We had a few other run-ins, and I didn’t handle any of them any better. Eventually, he showed up on my doorstep and apologized for having his hackles up and being an antagonistic jackass. Somehow, the plant book I’ve been wanting to do came up, and he offered to sketch the plants to make amends for our arguments. I took him up on it, and we’ve been hanging out in the afternoons, sometimes the evenings. He’s a really good artist. We’re almost done with the book, actually. It’s been amazing.”

“He’s amazing?”

“I—” She flushed and nodded. “He is. I’ve never met anyone like him.”

“Katniss, this can’t end well. He’s so much younger. You’re established, you’re at an entirely different place in your life than someone working at a glorified summer camp.”

“It’s a resort,” she shot back hotly.

“I’m not trying to belittle this place. It seems pretty incredible, and Madge and I are excited as hell to stay here for a while, but sweetie…”

“Don’t call me that,” she snapped.

“Catnip…”

“I know, okay? I know it’s insane. I know it’s playing with fire and what the hell am I thinking and all that, but Gale, he’s…”

“He’s what?” he prodded and waited for her to finish.

“He’s what I didn’t know I needed.”

The silence hung in the room. Katniss stood shaking. She hadn’t known exactly how she felt until she’d said it.

“I don’t know that I believe you or understand, but you know I have your best interests at heart—that what I want for you is to be the happiest you’ve ever been. You know that.” When she nodded, he added, “Just be careful. Don’t do anything stupid. Use your brain, and protect your heart. Maybe he’s the best guy in the entire world, but what happens when this summer’s over and you go back to Morgantown? Where will he be? You can’t leave your job and your life for someone who’s just starting out.”

She blinked slowly, willing the tears stinging the corners of her eyes to dissipate. She knew Gale was right, but that meant her first instincts had been correct, too. She needed to walk away from Peeta, and that was the last thing she wanted to do. With almost two months left until Labor Day and the official end of summer, it would be almost impossible. And what was her time at Panem without him, anyway?

Suddenly, the rest of the summer stretched before her, and it didn’t look like nearly as much fun as she’d hoped it would be a few days ago.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, thank you so much for reading! I started working on answering comments, but I'm still terribly behind. I'll get there. I promise. Heart y'all!


	12. Simon Says

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the day delay in posting. I was traveling without internet access for the past 36 hours. Enjoy!

“If I’d known how wonderful this place is, I would have convinced Gale to stay here longer,” Madge said with a lazy grin while sipping a Cosmo by the pool. Johanna, who Katniss had invited, looked over the top of her sunglasses and nodded in satisfaction.

“Your friend’s pretty smart, Katniss. I like her.”

“I like her too,” she admitted and leaned her head back against the lounger and closed her eyes.

Gale and Madge had been at Panem for twelve days, and she hadn’t seen Peeta since he’d shown up outside her cabin in Gale’s company. She still wasn’t sure why he’d been there, why it was that someone she somehow wanted had accompanied her best friend to her front door. Even worse, Peeta had said almost nothing, but Gale still thought the two of them were in too deep. As much as she loved having her friends with her at the resort, she was looking forward to saying goodbye so she could track down Peeta and figure out what the hell was happening between them. Absence had definitely made the heart grow fonder in this instance.

“If I wasn’t so in love with my man, I’d consider spending every summer here. There’s so much eye candy.”

“Madge Undersee Hawthorne,” Katniss gasped, “I am so telling Gale.”

Johanna snorted and shook her head. “It must be tough having someone to love. If my ex-husband was half as good-looking and interesting as yours is, I wouldn’t have to be spending my time here for the eye candy. Which reminds me, I haven’t seen Darius for a few days. Would you excuse me? I suddenly feel the urge for a quick romp.”

Katniss blushed deeply, but Madge just waved her off and turned to face Katniss. “Okay, since I’ve barely had time alone with you since we got here, let’s talk a little bit more about this thing Gale’s obsessed with. That you have with this guy that works here. Gale made me promise not to make a big deal about it, but you know him. He thinks ignoring something makes it go away, and we both know that doesn’t work at all. He loves you, so he thinks he’s protecting you from my nosy interference. He has no idea how many good things have happened because he gave me free reign to intervene in his daily affairs.”

“His daily affairs, huh? You’re okay with Gale’s affairs?”

Madge stared at her for a few seconds before they both broke into loud laughter. Gale was one of the most loyal men either of them knew. His devotion to Madge was rivaled by none, although his friendship with Katniss remained a close second.

“Tell me more about him,” Madge insisted, and Katniss swiveled around to make sure no one could hear before lowering her voice and spilling. “Gale calls him a kid, but I’m sure that’s just hyperbole.”

“He’s not a kid. He’s an adult, but he’s so much younger than anyone I’ve ever considered. Nothing’s happened between us, but there’s so much tension. So many repressed feelings,” Katniss sighed. “I know it’s a good thing that I have my shit together, but wouldn’t it be nice sometime to just forget everything and feel how good something is without wondering if I should do it or not?”

“You should definitely do it, Katniss. It’s been long enough.”

“See, you’re telling me to go for it. Jo thinks I should. Gale says there’s absolutely no way it’s a good idea.”

“And what about you? What do you think?”

Katniss stared at the water as it rippled in the sunlight. The pool was the same shade as Peeta’s eyes, and it made a spark of heat flash deep in her gut. He’d become so familiar to her over the past few months, familiar in a way that made her long for something more stable than a job and a smattering of friends who she rarely saw. Being around him—cooking dinner together and chatting as they passed the time working on the plant book together, anticipating his arrival and watching him share his talents with others—all of them made him so very appealing in a way no one else had been for such a long time. He was as special to her as Gale was, but with Peeta, she felt an attraction that was more than a friendship.

“I don’t know what to think, Madge,” she admitted. “There’s something about him that’s really, really extraordinary. I don’t know what it is. I don’t know why or how he’s gotten under my skin. I don’t understand any of it. Prim thinks it’s a good idea.”

“Oh, Katniss…”

She glanced at Madge and saw the sympathy in the other woman’s eyes. She didn’t share her imaginary conversations with her sister with too many people, but Gale had been her best friend for two decades. Of course, she’d confessed to him, and if he knew, then so did Madge.

“I know,” Katniss sighed. “I know, I know, I know. Talking to my dead sister is stupid, and thinking she’s giving me her approval is just as crazy. I know all that, but…”

“But sometimes things just don’t make sense and you have to listen to your gut or your conscience or the ghost of your dead sister,” Madge said with a knowing nod.

“And this is why we’re friends. You get me, and if you don’t, you pretend I’m sane.”

The grin stretched across Katniss’ face found a match on Madge’s. Gale approached and seemed pleased to find them having a good time.

“Any chance my two best girls will let me crash the party?” he asked and dropped a kiss to the top of both the women’s heads.

“Only if you buy us a round of drinks or two,” Katniss teased good-naturedly. She perked up when a head of ashy blonde hair appeared from a copse of trees and headed toward the pool. Peeta must have gotten a rare shift that placed him at the pool. She shifted on her lounger so the green bikini would show off her body the best and waited for him to spot her.

It was obvious when he did. He slipped through the gate at the end of the deck and glanced around before freezing when his head turned her way. She arched her back under his gaze and watched as his fingers twitched as if they wanted to touch her. He narrowed his eyes when Gale handed her a drink and gave her a wide berth as he skirted around the pool. Although he pretended to ignore her for the next half hour, Katniss knew he couldn’t keep his mind off her.

Gale and Madge’s visit had been a godsend. She was so grateful her friends made time to spend with her, especially over the holiday weekend, but now it was time for them to go home. Katniss wanted her afternoons and evenings back. She wanted more time alone with Peeta.

* * *

He was in hell. Pure, absolute, burning hell.

He closed his eyes and breathed in through his nose in an attempt to control the…whatever it was that burned under his skin. Tension? Lust? Anger? All seemed particularly appropriate after the past several days. He hadn’t seen Katniss alone since their near kiss, and he knew he’d crack at any second if that didn’t change soon.

Katniss, however, didn’t seem to mind at all. Stretched out by the pool in a string bikini the color of emeralds that made every curve of her body present itself as something to caress and kiss and— Right. Yeah. Not what he needed to be thinking about when he was supposed to relieve the lifeguard for a 30-minute lunch break. The last thing he should be doing was sporting an erection on the stand. If he’d known Katniss would be at the pool, he would have passed on this particular assignment and moped in his kitchen instead.

He didn’t immediately recognize the women next to Katniss. He’d only ever seen her spending time with Johanna Mason, and only a time or two at that. This new woman was blonde and tanned and vivacious and seemed to make Katniss laugh more than normal. It was a good look on her—especially when she wore that swimsuit.

“Down, boy,” he muttered and tried to think about something that would keep his dick soft.

He narrowed his eyes when Gale Hawthorne entered the pool area from the bar and strode toward Katniss. He was shirtless, appropriate since he was at the pool, but Peeta fumed at the sight of his bare skin. He wasn’t into men, but he’d been around Finnick enough to appreciate the beauty of the male form. Gale was every bit as built as his friend, and it made Peeta feel insanely inadequate, despite his own relatively sculpted torso. Gale had at least four inches on him, and every bit of the muscle needed to fill out his frame. And then some.

He snarled in disgust but almost choked on his own saliva when Gale tugged on Katniss’ braid and then leaned over and kissed her blonde companion on the mouth. With the ease that only stems from deep intimacy, Gale perched next to the woman and trailed his fingers along her thigh as he talked to the two women.

Peeta didn’t often feel dumb—he’d always been a good student and scored well in school, save for the few months following his family’s deaths when he hadn’t been able to handle anything at all—but seeing Gale with the blonde suddenly made a number of things click. Gale was with her friend, not Katniss. There was no reason to be jealous. He’d been an absolute idiot.

“Well, shit,” he cursed and stewed in his own thoughts until he was relieved from guard duty. He considered slipping away without saying anything, but he suddenly wanted nothing more than to talk to Katniss again before the day ended. He missed the sound of her voice.

He approached the group with both trepidation and eagerness. He stood awkwardly for a beat while he waited for them to stop talking, but it was only a few seconds before Katniss turned her attention to him and greeted him warmly.

“It’s good to see you, Peeta,” she said, and he could almost imagine her words were slightly breathless, like she’d missed him, too.

“Hi, Katniss. I’m looking forward to getting back to work on our project. Let me know when you have time again.” When she nodded, he turned his attention to Gale. “I trust you’ve had a pleasant stay at Panem, Mr. Hawthorne?”

“Gale,” he insisted, and nodded. “Madge and I have loved every second of it? Always good to see our best friend, and my wife’s been pampered very well here.”

“Your w-wife?” he stammered, just noticing the wedding band on Gale’s left hand for the first time when it glinted in the sunlight. He wasn’t expecting that. Girlfriend, maybe, but wife? That certainly boded well for no competition with Katniss from this man.

“Madge Hawthorne,” the blonde woman said as she reached out to shake his hand. “Good to meet you, Peeta. I’ve heard only good things about you.”

“My reputation precedes me,” he joked, but she nodded seriously.

“It has, actually. I think Katniss is looking forward to getting back to your project, too. I hear you only have one categories of plants to go before the book’s completed.”

It took him a few minutes to figure out if he was relieved Katniss hadn’t made the days they’d spent together sound like anything more than a friendly exchange of labor or if he was disappointed she hadn’t hinted at something more between them to her friend. Without time to analyze, he mumbled a response to Madge and made an excuse about having to move onto his next assignment. He spent the rest of the day and the next trying to figure out how he felt, but it didn’t take more than a few minutes to head to Cabin 12 after Annie confirmed that the Hawthornes had checked out and left the resort. With his heart pounding in his chest, he knocked gently and waited for her to appear behind the screen.

“Peeta! Come in,” she gushed when she opened the door. “It’s been forever. Come in, come in. Sit. Let’s catch up.”

Peeta followed her into the kitchen and collapsed into a chair at the table. It felt a little surreal to be back in her cabin, drinking in the room, and basking in her presence. She nudged a box of papers toward him, and he reached in to find the drawings he’d made for her carefully arranged inside.

“I don’t know if you want to work on that tonight, but I put them in there when you left last time. I didn’t want them to get messed up while Gale and Madge were here.”

He fingered the edges of some of the drawings before raising his face to catch her eyes. “I can work on them. I mean, the sooner they’re done, the sooner I can draw something else when I come to visit.”

He willed her to understand what he really meant—that he wanted to keep spending time with her, even after their project was completed, that she mattered to him and that he craved her company. He hoped she could decipher what he couldn’t say, but she didn’t reveal anything. She merely nodded and offered him a drink.

Peeta pulled out the drawings and reacquainted himself with his progress. The list of plants he still needed to draw was short. He could probably finish them all that evening if she didn’t kick him out any time soon.

When she set a glass down in front of him, he said softly, “I’m glad you had a good time with your friends.”

“Me, too,” she responded with a smile. “Gale’s been my best friend since I was ten, and Madge and I were inseparable after he left for college.”

“You and he never…?” He left the end of the question unspoken, but she clearly understood.

“Dated?” she huffed through a laugh. “No. I don’t know why, exactly. We just never looked at each other that way. I basically set him up with her once he was ready for something serious. They’re perfect for each other.”

“That’s great,” he said and cringed at how lame he sounded.

“How have you been? It was kind of weird just catching glimpses of you around the resort instead of seeing you almost every day,” she teased. “I almost called for a breakfast basket just to see who’d show up to deliver it.”

“So, maybe I’ll just come by again tomorrow and do nothing but bring along some of my cheese buns.”

“I’d really like that.”

He smiled broadly and murmured, “So would I.”

* * *

“You seem a lot less stressed,” Finnick observed smugly when Peeta returned to their cabin that night. “An unwanted guest finally gone?”

“Fucking finally,” Peeta swore. “Longest couple of weeks of my working life.”

“The longest, huh? That seems like an over exaggeration. I mean, I can think of three times off the top of my head that lasted longer.”

Peeta stripped his shirt over his head and grabbed a clean pair of boxers and a towel. Heading for the shower, he called over his shoulder, “Maybe for you. I, on the other hand, am looking forward to things going back to the way they were.”

Finnick followed him, completely naked and uninterested in the glared looks from their other two cabin mates. “The way they were. Make Panem Resorts great again. Back to the good old days.”

“Way to co-op political propaganda to give me shit, asshole,” Peeta said as he soaped his hair.

Finnick stepped under the spray and adjusted the temperature to heat the water another degree or two. It’d been a while since they’d been in the showers together. It felt a little like they were back in college and had the ill-fortune to get the oldest dorm their freshman year. The communal showers there had been a shock to both of them, so they’d promised to never go in without the other. It was a stupid, unnecessary pact, but it had solidified their friendship and loyalty to each other several years prior.

“Ah, you know I only want you to be happy.”

Peeta grunted but didn’t answer. They showered in relative silence for a few minutes before Finnick mused, “You know, I really thought that maybe…maybe this summer you might actually go for it. Guess I was wrong.”

“Might actually go for what?”

“Something that would make you happy.”

Peeta stared at him incredulously for several moments before bursting into laughter. “Do you really think I’m that pathetic that I can’t figure out how to be happy? I don’t need you to help me. I don’t need you to give me advice. I don’t need to fuck someone to feel like my life is going somewhere.”

“Peet—”

“Finn, I’m serious,” Peeta said with his hand up. “I’m okay. I appreciate that you care about me. I adore Annie, and I love the two of you together. I’m thrilled you’re going to get married. But, if you don’t stop trying to tell me how to live my life, I might have to drown you in the lake.”

Finnick chuckled and sank onto the bed to watch his friend as he dried his shoulders and prepared for bed. “It’s hard to stand by when one of my best friends is lonely.”

“I’m not lonely. I have you. I have Annie. I have this job. I have Katniss. Maybe not the way you want for me, but she’s a good friend, and it’s meant a lot to me to have her here this summer. I have a good boss at a nice job, and I’m almost done with my grad degree. What else could I really want?”

Finnick didn’t have the heart to answer. His friend was convinced that what he had was enough, but it was clear to him, Annie, and several others at Panem that Peeta loved the woman in Cabin 12, and Finnick was almost positive she felt the same way about Peeta. Being friends might be enough during the summer, but what happened when the calendar turned and they were no longer together? Finnick didn’t want to know, so he shrugged his shoulders and got into bed. Within a few minutes, he was asleep.


	13. Lay of the Land

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You've all been waiting so patiently. Happy reading!

Katniss set a cup of tea down next to him on the table and leaned over his shoulder to see what he was drawing. Two weeks had passed since Gale and Madge’s visit, and Peeta and she had settled into an easy friendship with something buzzing right under the surface. They’d finished the plant book, but Peeta continued to come by every day he could find time. Now, they talked until they ran out of things to say, and then they enjoyed the quiet together. Sometimes she couldn’t breathe when he looked at her, but nothing had happened since their almost kiss. It had been a month, and she assumed she must have imagined it.

“That sketch is amazing. You know that, right?” Katniss murmured. She ran her fingers lightly over the charcoal and grimaced when she smudged one of the lines. “I’m so sorry.”

“Don’t worry about it,” he chuckled. “Landscapes aren’t exactly my thing anyway. It’s rare I produce one that’s quality.”

She arched her eyebrow and gazed at him. “This isn’t quality? If landscapes aren’t your thing, what actually is?”

“Uh….well…nudes, actually,” he answered, and she observed his cheeks flush and his ears tip red. “I studied human motion, so there were a lot of classes with nude models in all sorts of, um, interesting positions.”

“I see,” she gulped. She pushed away thoughts of naked bodies, especially his, and glanced sideways at him. “Were you ever a model?”

“Me?” he asked. “Hell, no, but that was how I met my college girlfriend.”

Katniss quashed the jealousy that bloomed in her chest and tried to act nonchalant. “How interesting.”

“It helped to have someone who could help with my homework. Whenever I needed to sketch someone, she volunteered to strip.”

“Do you miss that kind of access?” She bit her lip to stop herself from saying more. She was asking completely inappropriate questions, and his arm inched closer to hers every second.

“Are you volunteering to replace her?” She froze, and his finger brushed her wrist. “The plant book’s done, but I still owe you. I could sketch your portrait.”

“You don’t owe me anything.”

His voice was hoarse when he answered, “Maybe I want to give you more.”

His eyes caught hers, and the walls closed. They were crossing the Rubicon, going past the point of no return, and she wanted it more than she knew how to express. She wasn’t supposed to want things. She wasn’t supposed to want him. She knew better, but she was dangerously close to not caring if she violated her own personal ethics and fell into bed with a much younger, emotionally scarred man. Suddenly, their easy friendship had just evaporated, and they were back to that night when he’d almost kissed her.

“The light’s perfect right now,” he said. His voice was husky, and she wanted to drown in it.

She backed away, and his eyes followed her. She stopped just in front of the window seat and bunched up the skirt of her sundress. He licked his lips when she dragged her panties down her thighs and let them fall to her feet. Unable to withstand the scrutiny of his stare, she turned her back and slipped the straps over her shoulders. When her dress slid down her body, she closed the distance to the window and settled onto the cushion below the sill. Stunned by her actions, she stared out the window as she waited for her heartbeat to slow. Peeta scrambled to pull a chair close to her and lay out his art supplies. She watched him in her peripheral vision and realized he’d laid out oil crayons and was planning to capture her in full color.

Birds flitted through the trees, and the leaves rustled in the wind. A gentle breeze stirred the curtains around her and grazed her skin as the scratches from Peeta’s artistic strokes filled the air and the oils covered the paper. As out of character as her nudity was, she felt strangely at ease. He wasn’t leering at her as he drew. He made her feel like she, herself, was a work of art, and she was anxious to see the finished product. She’d never felt sexy before meeting him. Cute, maybe. Sometimes pretty, but never sexy. Not until this summer.

She lost track of time as he sketched, but she roused when he set down the sketchpad and slowly approached her. She turned to look at him as he advanced, and she knew the smolder in his eyes matched the vulnerability in hers.

“I know this might be a silly question,” he said softly, “but you need to tell me now if you want to change your mind.”

“I don’t want to change my mind.”

“You’re so out of my league,” he insisted. “You deserve something better than this.”

“I don’t model nude for just anyone, Peeta.”

He looked like he didn’t understand how this was happening, and she knew exactly what that was like. She must be insane, but she didn’t care. She’d denied things long enough, waited forever. Now, she wanted to know how things would be with him. How he’d make her feel when he touched her.

He knelt in front of her and trailed the back of his index finger along her jaw and down her neck. His hand crept lower along her shoulder and biceps until he moved it to the valley between her breasts.

“You’re so beautiful,” he whispered before his lips brushed against hers. “So beautiful and kind and soft…”

Katniss sighed as his mouth traveled along her cheek and jawline where his finger had just been. His breath burned her skin, and she leaned into his embrace. His hand trailed up her leg and torso to cup her breast, and she sucked in air and held it as his thumb grazed her nipple.

“We can’t. Peeta, let me go,” she whispered in a futile, and completely unfair, attempt to convince herself she still had the ability to resist. After posing nude for him and barely keeping her hands and mouth to herself before and missing him so much it hurt while Gale and Madge were at the resort. Too many hours lost in the summer. Now, she just wanted him.

She didn’t mean it at all, but she whispered, “Let me go.”

“I can’t,” he admitted, and she moaned when his mouth covered hers.

All the times she’d held back, every opportunity she’d refused because it wasn’t what she thought was right, every time she’d convinced herself it was only friendship but wanted more—all of those instances combined into this moment, and she shoved every one of them to the furthest recess of her mind. She knew this wasn’t smart, that they were playing a dangerous game—one of hunger and desperation and fire—but, for once, she refused to care.

She wanted him more than she’d wanted anything since Prim’s death. He awakened things inside her that had been dormant for much too long, and she craved him. Starved, she chose him. She chose a second chance, a rebirth, a new life.

His hands on her body resurrected her. His skin against hers gave her life meaning. When he touched her, his burning gaze stoked a fire that scorched her veins. Still, he took his time, and she could see his struggle as he pleasured her without taking anything for himself. He wanted her in a way she could hardly bear, but he revived her first.

He caressed every speck of her body with his hands and mouth. Long minutes filled with tortured sighs and barely discernible pleasured yelps passed as he woke parts of her that she’d forgotten existed. Over and over, he kneaded her until she couldn’t tell where one erogenous zone ended and another began. Delirious with desire, she babbled her approval to the heated air.

“Katniss,” he panted, “I can’t hold off much longer. I want… God, I need— Katniss, please.”

She nodded and turned so her back was to him. She couldn’t handle the intimacy of facing him the first time, but she wanted him inside her so badly she ached.

Peeta groaned as he raised her ass and nudged her legs apart with his muscular thigh. She heard the rip of foil and his breathy murmur as he sheathed himself in rubber before he thumped his erection on the small of her back and pressed his chest against her.

“Are you ready?” he asked, his breath hot in her ear.

She nodded and braced her arms against the windowsill. Her eyes rolled back in her head when he entered her, easing ever-so-slowly inside until she wanted to scream. He was big and rock solid inside her, and she felt like she’d split in two if he didn’t move.

“Fucking hell,” she moaned.

He didn’t last long, and he didn’t take it easy on her. In response to her curse, he pulled out and thrust into her so hard, her knees wobbled beneath her. Undeterred, he held her upright and slammed against her. She gritted her teeth and whimpered as his hips bucked. He hit exactly the right angle, but he was done before she had a chance to catch him. He emptied himself with a tortured grunt and slumped against her while he apologized.

“Give me a minute,” he begged. “I just need a minute, I promise. Two fucking months of foreplay was too much. I’m usually better than this.”

She stayed quiet, smothered between his warm body and the cushion of the window seat for a short time. She was just starting to lose her breath when he moved off her. She heard rustling for the briefest moment, and then he was back with her, moving her so she was seated on the edge of the cushion with her legs spread. Before she could protest, his face disappeared between her thighs, and she…

She burst into flames. Her body burned. She was a phoenix rising from the ashes, as he took her to the edge and shoved her over the precipice. She was flying. She was Icarus—much too close to the heavens. There was no way to stop from crashing into the ocean below. Her wings folded, and she plunged into the waves.

She’d always thought water doused flames, and she was a girl on fire. Somehow, she burned brighter than the sun, imploding into herself until she became a black hole, dark as coal, and just as powerful. Consumed by heat, she radiated with confidence. She could do anything. She could conquer the world. She could and would do whatever he wanted, as long as he kept his mouth on her.

When she finally drifted back to earth, her hands were behind her gripping the curtains while her feet perched on his shoulders and her knees splayed open. Peeta lifted his face, and he glistened. When he smiled at her, he was dazzling—covered in her juices, his navy eyes smoldering.

They studied each other as her breath slowed, and she realized he had his cock in his hand, hard again and aroused by her response. She tugged his hair until he hovered over her.

“Together?”

“Together,” she agreed.

He cradled her in his arms, and she could feel his muscles bunch as he stood with her clasped to his chest. He kissed her as he shuffled to the bedroom and gently laid her on the mattress. He followed, his body pressed along hers, plastering his scrumptious skin against hers. He was warm and hard and insistent and certain as he nudged her legs open and settled between them.

Another foil packet fell empty to the floor, and then he entered her again. She arched her back as he stretched her just a little past comfortable. It felt amazing, and she moaned into his ear at the sensation. She whimpered in between light kisses against his neck and reveled in the soft grunts that garbled in the back of his throat every time his hips snapped against hers.

Her body sang as they danced together in the sheets, legs tangled, breaths ragged and uneven, tempo changing as they prolonged the pleasure. Eventually, his mouth covered hers, and she tasted herself on him. It was so erotic, she keened against him, desperate to get closer, dreading when she’d have to let go.

The second time lasted much longer. His strokes were measured and sure as he held her against him. She wrapped him to her, her arms and legs like ribbons tied on a present, until his chest flattened her breasts. He kissed her repeatedly, whispering sweet nothings against her skin as they approached the edge. When his eyes glazed, she reached between them and rubbed her clit until her breath caught in her throat. He sighed, dropped his head to her shoulder, and shook as he came. She gripped his curls and wrung herself out on him, breaking as she squeezed around him.

Soft, muffled moans echoed around them in the aftermath. He tightened his grip on her and rolled onto his side. He held her until her legs stopped trembling, and she could breathe properly again. She clung to him, desperate for contact. They slept, stretched out next to each other, with only a thin sheet protecting them from the chilled summer night.

She woke to his hands on her, his mouth suckling her neck, and his erection pressed into her back. She pushed against him, and he rubbed her clit as he eased into her. It was slow and languid and passionate. Their bodies heavy with fatigue and want. Stretching and pulling and taking. Giving and surrendering and submitting. It took forever and lasted only a second.

His name caught in the back of her throat when she came, and he shuddered and jerked with a plea for mercy on his lips. When his breath evened out, he kissed the back of her neck and eased out from under her. Limp and exhausted, she allowed him to tuck her under the quilt and whimpered though a sleepy haze when he rose.

“Stay with me,” she murmured, but she was already half asleep again.

The first rays of the sunrise were just peeking over the horizon, and his hair shone golden in the light. He shook his head at her request. Leaning down to brush his lips across her forehead, he whispered, “I’ll be here as long as I can. Sleep, Kat.”

She did. Soundly and without nightmares, but she woke later to an empty bed and almost no sign that he’d been there the night before. The only way she knew it was real was the soreness between her legs and the ache from his absence. His side of the bed was ice cold.

* * *

“Well, well, well. Look what the cat dragged in.”

Peeta cringed at Finnick’s smug greeting as he entered the lodge’s kitchen. If he only knew how accurate his words were. He’d been dragged by a gorgeous woman he thought of more and more as Kat instead of her full name. She was sleek like a feline and purred with the best of them when aroused—which she’d been just a short time ago. She also had claws; the gentle scores on his back proved that. He’d have to steer clear of beach and pool duty for a few days until the wounds healed, but that wouldn’t be difficult since he was hardly ever assigned.

In reality, he knew she was named after an edible plant, and he squeezed his eyes closed for a moment when he remembered how he’d feasted on her heat just hours before. It took every bit of strength he had to force blood away from his crotch and stay flaccid. The thought of her naked body wrapped around him threatened to derail everything.

“Shut up, Finn.”

His friend moved closer and stage whispered, “Were you with her last night? You didn’t come back to the cabin until almost dawn, so you obviously spent the night somewhere else.”

“Goodbye, Finn.”

“Peet, come on! Talk to me.”

“No,” he snapped and slammed his hand down on the counter.

“Just tell me you’re okay.”

Peeta rocked to a halt and breathed deeply to calm himself. He was in a terrible mood, which made absolutely no sense. He’d gotten laid so hard last night, he should be floating in the wind. Leaving her alone in bed had nearly broken him, and the reality of his situation hit him hard as he slipped from her cabin and reverted back to Peeta Mellark, Panem employee, rather than Katniss Everdeen’s brand-new lover.

“I’m fine.”

“I can keep a secret, you know.”

“I know, Finn. Thank you, but I’m not ready to talk about this yet. Maybe never. It’s…it’s too personal, too private.”

“Yeah.”

“It’s too special,” he gulped and glanced at his friend. “I can’t find words.”

Peeta always knew what to say around his friends. It was one of his best traits, but his feelings for Katniss couldn’t be captured in mere syllables. She wasn’t a semantic. She was the most wonderful person he’d ever met, and she had no idea the effect she had on him. She would worry if she realized how deep he was. He was too far past considering ending it before it had barely begun. Instead, he was already thinking about spending the rest of his life with her by his side. He was in major trouble, and he had no idea how to deal with the complications he’d foolishly convinced himself weren’t a problem when he’d given in last night and finally put his mouth on her gorgeous body.

“Wow,” Finnick teased. “Peeta ‘Silver-tongue’ Mellark has no words. This must be special.”

Peeta didn’t bother to acknowledge the jab. He stormed from the room and ducked into an alcove just outside the kitchen until Finnick took the hint and left. The only good thing about sneaking back to his cabin at dawn had been that he was already up early for his bakery shift in the kitchen. Now, he had just enough time to whip up a few batches of pastries before the breakfast crowd trickled in to fortify themselves for another day of fun at the Panem Resort. He desperately needed sleep, but he was scheduled to help with afternoon recreation once he was done baking. Cursing his luck, he ground his teeth together and settled in for a double shift.

As much as he didn’t want to admit it, baking felt good. The familiarity of measuring and mixing calmed his nerves, and he worked out the soreness in his arms by kneading dough and shaping the pastries. Heat from the oven helped temper the burning in his veins whenever he remembered the way she’d whimpered his name as she came on his tongue. He’d barely had time to swallow before she’d convulsed again. He’d been with women who enjoyed multiple orgasms before, but Katniss… Multiple didn’t seem like a strong enough word for how her body had responded to him. Compound seemed more accurate.

After slipping a tray of asiago rolls into the oven, he washed his hands carefully while his mind shifted to thoughts of her olive skin rubbing against him. Her small, firm breasts with dark brown nipples; her slim waist and gentle flair of hips that beckoned to him; the dark strip of coarse hair that led to paradise; the way her ass jiggled as he’d fucked her from behind, his cock sliding between her cheeks that were just firm enough to palm…

He cursed under his breath and splashed cold water on his face. He had to calm himself. He couldn’t walk around the grounds with a raging boner, and he wasn’t a teenager. He was 25, a grown man, despite Katniss’ past protests that she was much older than him.

As he pulled the buns from the oven and replaced them with a batch of hearty whole wheat muffins with nuts and fruit folded into the batter, he vowed to stay away from her until she approached him. He had a lot to lose, and he needed to regain some control over his emotions _and_ his appendages. He’d wait her out until she wanted him just as much as he craved her. If that was even possible.

Yes, that’s what he’d do. He congratulated himself on his logic as he stacked warm pastries into linen-lined baskets. He just needed to ground himself for a few days again. Everything would be fine.

* * *

“How’s he doing?” Annie hissed at her boyfriend as he passed the reception desk. She grinned as Finnick turned and winked at her. He sidled toward her and leaned over the bar to inhale her scent—something she loved but refused to admit.

“He’s not talking.”

Her eyes widened at the implication. Privately, the two of them had been conjecturing how long it would take before the summer guest gave into the charms of their friend. Katniss held out much longer than Finnick thought she would, but Annie had recognized the resolve and self-control the other woman possessed when she’d checked in at the beginning of the season.

“And last night?”

“He snuck in at dawn to grab clean clothes. I caught up with him in the kitchen before he hid until I left him alone.”

Annie grinned before shoving his shoulder. “You’d better go. It’s too public here, and there are always eyes watching.”

Finnick pouted but backed away quickly. “Break?”

“Lunch at 12:30,” she confirmed. “Our place?”

“Wouldn’t miss it,” he drawled and winked before welcoming a family into the lodge. “Welcome, sir, ma’am! Right this way. The lovely Annie will help you get checked-in, and I’m happy to help you settle into your room just as soon as you’re ready. We’re so glad to have you here at Panem.”

Annie bit back a smile as he charmed the skirt off the woman and almost had the pants off the husband. Her fiancé was nothing if not the epitome of charisma, but he was also loyal and loving and one of the most caring people she’d ever known. She loved his playboy façade because he always found her at the end of the day. There was never a question that he loved her more than anyone else on earth.

She greeted the guests and took care of them before turning to the phone. She hit the button for line two and chirped into the receiver, “Good morning! Panem front desk. This is Annie. How may I direct your call?”

“Annie? It’s Katniss. Katniss Everdeen? In Cabin 12?”

“Good morning, Ms. Everdeen,” she said calmly, despite her racing heart. “How can I help you this morning?”

“I’m feeling just a tad tired, and I don’t think I’ll make it up to the lodge for breakfast. Is there any way I could get some fruit and pastries delivered to my cabin? Whatever is available is fine.”

Katniss didn’t sound tired to Annie. She sounded like the most satisfied woman in the world, and it was all Annie could do not to giggle. Katniss was clearly basking in afterglow, and hell if she would mess it up for the older woman who clearly was as smitten with Peeta as he was with her, even if neither one of them were ready to admit it.

“Of course, Ms. Everdeen! We’d be happy to serve you. I’ll have someone bring a breakfast basket to your cabin within the hour.”

“Thanks so much, Annie. I appreciate it.”

“Of course, ma’am. It’s my pleasure.”

She disconnected the call and punched the button to dial the kitchen. She bit her lip to stop from laughing when Peeta answered.

“Kitchen. Peeta speaking.”

“Peeta Mellark,” she purred. “It’s Annie Cresta from reception.”

“I know who you are, Annie. I’ve known you for years. You’re engaged to my best friend. We went to college together. I’m well-aware you work at the front desk.”

“You’re certainly a grump this morning,” she teased lightly. “Didn’t get enough sleep last night?”

“I’m not talking about this with you,” he snapped. “What do you want?”

“I need a breakfast basket delivery as soon as you’re ready.”

“I’m ready now. Just got the last batch out of the oven. Where?”

“Cabin 12,” she said, her voice angelic.

Peeta cursed under his breath, and she swore he must have slammed his fist into the wall. “You don’t have someone else who can do it?”

“I’m sorry, but no,” she answered, lying through her teeth. “Everyone is already assigned this morning, and it’s a zoo at reception. The weekend, you know.”

Peeta grumbled for several seconds, and Annie wondered if he’d have the nerve to question her instead of taking the delivery. She waited, but he eventually grumbled, “I’ll get right on it. Thanks.”

She grinned at his abrupt dismissal and turned to welcome some newly arrived guests. “Welcome to Panem. How can I help you this morning?”


	14. Fun and Games

Peeta knew when he was bested, so he grabbed pastries and stuffed them in a basket. With a whispered prayer for strength, he made his way to Cabin 12 and knocked. His knees almost buckled when she opened the door in a short robe with mused hair and sinfully plump lips from their kisses only a while ago.

Peeta considered resisting for exactly three seconds after seeing her, but there wasn’t any point in trying. He was gone for her, and she knew it. She was in his arms before he could help himself. When she turned and opened her robe, he didn’t bother trying to pretend he wasn’t completely aroused by her dewy skin and peaked nipples.

He didn’t have time to do things the way he wanted, so he backed her against the kitchen wall and kissed her senseless. When she mewled his name, he worked his zipper down and freed himself. He fumbled for his wallet and breathed easier when he located a condom, the last one. He wasn’t used to regular sex, and he’d need to restock before seeing her again. Katniss hitched her leg over his left hip, and he positioned himself at her opening.

“Oh, god,” she groaned. “You’re already so fucking hard.”

“Only for you,” he grunted and drove upward. She gasped at his intrusion, and he paused when she winced. “Kat? Sweetheart?”

“Don’t stop. A little sore.”

“Relax, baby,” he panted as he strained to control the pace. “I won’t hurt you.”

Her head fell back, and he gazed in wonder at her abandon and total commitment to their illicit act after only one night together. He pulled her hip closer to his and shifted his angle to reach deeper without having to increase force. He suckled her neck until she tugged his hair so hard it stung. Her hips rocked into his, and he stroked her until she huffed whimpered approval that matched every thrust.

“Purr for me, Kat,” he begged against her throat and was humbled when her walls clenched around him. “Yeah… Yeah, yeah, yeah.”

He chanted his appreciation for her as she milked him. It took everything he had to delay until she shrieked and clamped around him. When she did, he ejaculated with such force black dots danced behind his eyes. His heart thumped in rapid succession. His cock twitched inside her, and fluid filled the condom. His jeans dropped past his hips and puddled at his feet, and he almost dropped to his knees as his legs trembled.

Katniss slumped against him, and he realized her hair was completely unbound. Soft waves of dark brown silk flowed over her shoulders, and her robe bunched around her elbows. Her chest heaved; her breasts quivered; and he wanted her again already.

“I have a double shift today,” he murmured in her ear. “I don’t think I’ll have time later.”

She nodded against his shoulder but wouldn’t meet his eyes. “Have a good day,” she offered quietly.

He dipped his head to nudge her mouth to his. She kissed him hungrily, her teeth tugging his lower lip while he concentrated on staying soft.

“I’ll see you tomorrow,” he whispered and kissed her softly once more. He grabbed a paper towel, tugged off the condom, and tucked himself in his pants in one swift motion. He dropped the trash in the garbage and caressed her cheek on his way out the door.

He was halfway back to the lodge when he realized something. That distance thing hadn’t worked for shit.

Two weeks later, it still wasn’t working.

Instead, Peeta woke from a deep sleep and shifted. His muscles were loose and limp from bedding the woman of his dreams again, and he couldn’t believe he was waking with her in his arms. She slept peacefully with her lips tugged into a slight smile and her bare breasts exposed to his appreciative gaze. He rolled over and kissed the swell and then licked her nipple with the tip of his tongue. She tasted like honey, and he wanted nothing more than to dive in again instead of easing himself from her and going to his job.

Two glorious weeks of passionate, hot, sweaty, loving sex. Only two weeks, and he couldn’t imagine going without her again. Fourteen days since he sank into her magnificent heat and was branded by her. He was hers—completely and without question, as far as he was concerned. He hadn’t brought up their future yet, but he was sure she wanted him just as much as he craved spending the rest of his life with her. She had to be. He couldn’t fathom any other way.

He wondered how stupid he’d sound if he tried to explain how he felt to anyone else. Maybe Finnick would understand, even though Peeta had ignored all his best friend’s pleas to talk since it began. Finn loved Annie as strongly as Peeta felt about Katniss, but those two had known each other for years. Katniss had only been a part of his life for a little over two months. Ten weeks since he bumped into her in the woods and his world turned on its head. If he felt this way after such a short time, how much more would he love her after two years? Two decades? He’d need two lifetimes, a hundred, and it still wouldn’t be enough.

Katniss stirred, and he dropped his head to nuzzle her neck. She snuggled against him, and he reached for her hand. When she placed it on his crotch, he groaned at the contact. She wrapped her hand around him and nibbled on his ear so that he thrust into her fist.

“Good morning.” Her voice was husky, and her breath grazed his cheek. He hardened more at her words, and she squeezed him a little tighter.

“Morning,” he gasped, unable to breathe properly when she massaged his cock. “Fuck, that feels so good…”

He trailed off when she slid down the bed and took him in her mouth. Biting his lower lip so he could stay quiet, he closed his eyes as her lips slid down his length. She worked slowly, her tongue whirling in circles around his shaft as she fondled his balls. His heels dug into the mattress as his hips jerked erratically.

“Katniss,” he grunted. “God, you’re amazing. So sexy. Please, please, please, don’t stop.”

She didn’t, and he praised her for her efforts. She took him deep, her mouth loving and gentle one moment and fierce and demanding the next. She sucked the tip and then lavished his length with slippery kisses and tiny nips with her teeth. The combination drove him wild and kept him from coming too fast.

He buried his fingers in her hair and caressed her scalp as she pushed him to the brink. Just when he was there, she popped him free. Frustrated, he dropped his arms to the mattress and begged for her to finish him. Using her spit as lubricant, she jerked him with both hands until he fisted the sheets and shouted a string of unending curses.

Thick ropes of his ejaculate spurted from him and ran down her fingers. She kept pumping as he came, and his eyes widened when a few blobs landed on her breasts, which jiggled as she continued to jack him off. He watched with hooded eyes as they dripped down her body and settled in the dip of her bellybutton. For several glorious seconds, he basked in the afterglow of his orgasm. He was sticky and spent, but he was ridiculously satisfied in a way only she could guarantee.

She shifted to move from the bed, but he grabbed her hands and slid his fingers through hers. They were covered in him, and he wiped it from her fingers onto his as he tugged her toward him.

“Come up here,” he pled. She shook her head, but he refused to take no for an answer. “I want to. Come on, sweetheart.”

She resisted, so he dropped her hands and grabbed her hips. Surprised, she squealed when he dragged her up his body and settled her on his face.

“Oh, fuck me,” she whined as his tongue dove into her. He licked and sucked, moving from her clit to her entrance in an alternating, ever-quickening rotation. Her hips ground down on him until he could barely breathe. Her fragrance filled his nostrils while her cries permeated his ears. She was incoherent by the time she came. He watched in awe as her back arched, and she tightened and snapped. He grabbed her tits and squeezed as she bounced several more times on his face.

When stilled and slumped back onto the mattress, he gathered her to his chest. She trembled and shivered against him for several minutes while he combed his fingers through her hair. His chest felt hollow, and he realized his hands trembled when he raised them. He didn’t want to let her go for even a second, but his responsibilities couldn’t be ignored for much longer. He kissed her forehead with gentle caresses until the morning light spread across the floor and up onto the bed.

“I have to go soon,” he murmured.

“Quit your job.”

“Okay.” She chuckled against his chest, and he grinned at how much it tickled. “I’ll quit my job and be a kept man. I promise I’ll earn my keep.”

“I’ll lock you up and let you out for feedings and exercise.”

“What kind of feedings?” he laughed and wiped his chin dry. “And I hope it’s group exercise. I hate working out alone.”

“Good for you that I like working in groups. Well, in pairs, anyway,” she corrected. “Sucks being alone.”

“You don’t have to worry about that anymore.”

She stretched against him, and he rained kisses on her clavicle. “This summer,” she sighed. “I had no idea how good it would be. Or how quickly it would pass.”

“I wish I could freeze this moment, right now, and live in it forever,” he murmured against her shoulder. “You make me so happy.”

“I’ll allow it,” she sighed. He noticed her eyes drift closed, and he placed a gentle kiss on each lid.

“I have to go,” he whispered. “I’ve got the early shift today. As usual.”

“Stay,” she said automatically, but they both knew he couldn’t. He slipped into the shower and washed quickly. By the time he was out, she was snuffling softly. He dressed silently, kissed her gently on the lips, and snuck out the door. He was already counting the seconds until he could see her again.

* * *

“Are you always here?” Peeta grumbled when he returned to his cabin and saw Finnick sitting on his bed. His friend flashed his signature grin and held up a sheet of paper. He’d used a marker to spell out WALK OF SHAME in block letters. Peeta rolled his eyes and grabbed a clean polo and khakis. “Hilarious.”

“Happy for you, you know.”

“Thanks, man.”

“You’re being careful, right?”

Peeta shot him a look, “Are you serious right now?”

Finnick observed his friend and shrugged. Peeta seemed content for the first time in a while. Even with Glimmer, Peeta had been jumpy and unsure. That wasn’t the case the past few weeks. He was confident, cheerful, and focused in a way he hadn’t been since they’d met.

The problem was that Finnick wasn’t sure about the longevity of his friend’s happiness, and that’s what worried him. Peeta was clearly smitten with the woman in Cabin 12, but Finnick had no idea how she felt. Was his friend just a tryst? A summer fling in the tradition of Johanna Mason? Something lasting?

“Just…”

Peeta glared for a moment and asked, “Just what? What advice do you have for me today?”

“Just make sure you’ve got your eyes open about this.”

“You’re the one who told me to go for it,” Peeta reminded him scornfully.

“I know. It’s just—”

“Just what?”

“Just that I’m worried that might have been a mistake.”

Peeta didn’t respond. Instead, he grabbed his toothbrush and stalked to the bathroom. Without another word, Finnick left the cabin and headed to the lodge. He had a sudden desire to steal a few moments with his fiancée before the day began. Suddenly, it seemed there were way too many games being played in Panem.

* * *

Katniss stretched languidly and turned her back on the spot where she wished Peeta had been when she woke. He had a job, so it wasn’t a surprise he’d left her before she woke. Once she stretched her sore muscles, she rose from the bed and wrapped herself in the dark peach terry cloth robe she’d had for the past decade. It was a little ratty, but it felt like a warm blanket enveloping her every time she slipped it over her shoulders. It was also Peeta’s favorite color.

She padded into the kitchen and started a cup of coffee before spying a slip of folded paper on the countertop. A smile split her face when she flipped it open and saw Peeta’s artist scrawl wishing her a good morning and relaxing day. She took a sip of hot beverage and burned the tip of her tongue. It did nothing to dampen her mood. She was still riding the high from her unraveling under Peeta’s capable hands.

And mouth.

And tongue.

And hard, thick cock.

She pattered into the bathroom and dropped the robe into a heap at her feet. She turned the shower to steaming and washed herself. As the soap slid down her body, she imagined Peeta caressing her until she registered a sharp rapping on the door to her cabin.

“I’ll be right there!” she called and switched off the shower. She toweled herself dry in thirty seconds and then shrugged the robe back onto her shoulders before rushing to answer the knock.

“So sorry,” she blurted. Peeta turned to face her, and she froze. She hadn’t expected him to show up on her doorstep with a basket full of baked goods. Not after the night before and the noises she’d made and the things she’d begged for him to do to her.

“Good morning,” he said, his voice deep and somewhat hoarse. “I believe you requested a breakfast basket?”

“I didn’t,” she sputtered, motioning him inside. “You know I didn’t.”

“No, but I get to see you this way,” he whispered as he brushed by her and put the basket on the counter. The hairs on every inch of her body rose to full attention. She closed the door and made sure the blinds covered the windows. By the time she turned, he was behind her, his arms drawing her to him and his lips against her neck.

“How long do you have?”

He groaned and kissed her jawline. “Not long enough.”

She twisted in his arms and slipped her robe open. “No time for games, but time enough for fun?”

He groaned as the cloth fell into a puddle at her feet, leaving her bare and shivering under his fingertips. His arms enclosed her, and she pressed her full body against his. He ducked his head and cupped her breast so he could suck her nipple into his mouth. She moaned loudly, and he scooped her up and strode to the bedroom where he collapsed with her onto the bed.

“Take your clothes off,” she begged and tried to rip his shirt over his head. “I want to feel your skin.”

“Katniss,” he groaned. His hands frantically traced her limbs and torso, and he settled between her legs. “How do you do this to me?”

Eyes closed and head thrown back, Katniss couldn’t do anything but whimper his name while he hooked her legs over his shoulders and pushed into her.

“Fuck,” he mumbled when he was fully seated in her. “I think I’m addicted to you. I think about this all the time. I want to fuck you every goddamn second of every fucking day.”

His body moved, and she clenched around him as he eased out of her heat. Her fingernails dug into his back, and they rocked together. Frantic. Desperate. Impatient. Determined. Until they shattered.

“Best sex of my life,” Katniss wheezed when he finally rolled off her. “God, you know how to fuck me good.”

He chuckled and cupped her chin in his palm. “It’s so incredible with you,” he murmured while tucking stray hairs behind her ear. “Mind-blowing.”

“You know, I think Johanna Mason may be the smartest person I’ve ever met. God bless her, and her support of summer flings and bedding young studs.” She meant it as a joke, but Peeta tensed beside her.

“Is that what this is? A summer fling with a younger man? Sharpening your cougar claws?” Peeta pushed off the mattress and stood by the bed glaring down at her. “I’m just convenient?”

Katniss gaped at him and swallowed a few times as she scrambled to cover herself, suddenly very aware of her nakedness and vulnerability.

“You are definitely not convenient,” she spat, her temper getting the better of her.

Peeta raised his eyebrows and hissed, “Oh, I’m not, huh? It’s not convenient for you to have your boy toy on speed dial, so you can call the front desk to have him show up and screw you any time you want? A little delivery dick? Just order up whatever flavor of fucking you want? I’ll take a blonde today and a redhead tomorrow?”

She tried to respond. She really did, but his words cut so deeply she couldn’t speak. How dare he say that to her? How dare he taint what they’ve been doing by insinuating either of them are prostituting the other? She was shaking with anger. Her eyes stung with tears. Humiliation burned on her cheeks and down her neck to curdle in her stomach.

With as much dignity as she could muster, she said, “Don’t you have an art class to teach? Wouldn’t want to deprive all the other older women the pleasure of checking out the goods so you can service them later.”

Peeta’s face paled, and he bent to pick up his clothes and redress quickly. Without a word, he stomped from the cabin. The door slammed behind him, and Katniss burst into tears.

Every doubt she’d had about the age gap, opening herself up to another person, hooking up with an employee of the resort, sneaking around, hiding what they were doing—all of that welled up in her, and she sobbed until her chest ached and her eyes hurt so much they felt blistered. It took a long time to calm down and about an hour longer for her to realize they’d both acted out of anger than genuine feelings, or at least she hoped he hadn’t really meant what he’d said to her. If he did, she’d seriously misinterpreted his character.

She moped around the rest of the day, irritated with herself and furious with him. She couldn’t stand to look at her plant book or any of the drawings he’d made for her. Indifferent to the mess she made of them when she was so close to organizing the project and sending out samples to publishers, she shoved everything into a box and tossed them into the bottom of the pantry. When she was done, she forced herself to eat a bagel to quell her rumbling stomach. When she put the empty plate back on the counter, the bottle of whiskey Gale and she had shared the last night before Madge and he left caught her eye.

The sun set and darkness filled the cabin as she drank from the bottle. Her sister’s voice flitted around her, but she ignored it. She wanted nothing more than to be alone. That’s why she almost didn’t answer the door when the knock sounded at midnight. Peeta stood on the porch, his shoulders hunched and hands stuff in his pockets with a tortured expression on his face.

“I’m so sorry,” he whispered, and she stepped aside so he could enter.

“We need to talk about this.”

“I know.”

“Not tonight.”

“Whatever you want,” she said dully.

She stumbled sideways, and he reached forward to steady her. She tipped into his chest, and he gathered her in his arms. She was unconscious before he laid her on the bed.


	15. Crying Wolf

Three days later, Peeta was on lifeguard duty and regretting most of his life choices. Katniss and he had agreed to discuss their fight, but they’d woken up the next morning and avoided the conversation. He wanted to face it with her, to discuss it like grownups, but it was easier to pretend everything was okay than to admit all the factors that worked against them. It was even simpler to lose themselves in each other and speak with their bodies instead of words.

As a result, he was exhausted. Days spent working and nights in bed with Katniss kept him from getting enough sleep. Drowsiness weakened his bones, and he sagged in the hot afternoon sun. Worse than trying to stay alert and aware, the fatigue made him jump at everything. He could almost swear that someone had followed him the past few nights as he slunk from Cabin 12 back to his barracks and into fitful sleep.

Worse than that, Katniss was sprawled on the white sandy beach in her bikini, bronzing herself in the sun, and she and Jo Mason drank and chattered. Perched on his lifeguard stand, he tried to ignore the fact that the woman he’d made love to the night before was enjoying the attention of every male on the beach between the ages of 15 and 50. Johanna’s ongoing bawdy conversation drew constant attention to the pair, and Peeta wanted to punch everyone who glanced at her olive skin and lithe body. His entire being was comprised of jealousy and lust, which was a terrible combination for someone who was supposed to be in charge of keeping people safe.

Katniss rose from her towel and stretched, and Peeta stiffened. She tossed her head and glanced at him over her sunglasses before sauntering to the lake and wading into the blue-green water. He kept his gaze locked on her, trying desperately to keep his cock soft as she sank under the gentle, lapping waves. When she rose, her swimsuit clung to her in darkened patches, and he groaned and tugged his baseball cap lower to cover his eyes.

“I’m going to die,” he grumbled and clenched his fists.

“Jo, come out here! It feels so good.”

He squeezed his eyes shut. She’d said those exact words to him last night when he’d taken her from behind on the deck overlooking the lake. She’d wanted to look at the moon, and she’d been so beautiful in the muted light, that he hadn’t been able to stop himself from spreading her legs and piercing her with his dick.

She’d whimpered and moaned as their skin slapped together. He’d pressed his chest to her back, desperate to be connected. Repeatedly panting his name, she’d come with a shudder and collapsed in his arms.

He was falling for her. That much was completely obvious to him, and it scared the hell out of him.

She’d done nothing to indicate she wanted more than what this summer afforded them. They’d had a talk about the age gap, but that was all. They weren’t using condoms anymore, but that was more because she was taking birth control and he had little opportunity to replenish his supply than any long-term commitment she was willing to make.

There were only three weeks left before the summer ended and Katniss went back to her life and lab in West Virginia. And he… He’d go back to Raleigh for one last year in grad school and then hit the job market.

Maybe he could apply for positions where she was. Maybe this could be more than a summer fling. Maybe this summer was when his life changed for the better.

After everything he’d been through, didn’t he deserve a little happiness?

Katniss swam yards from him but completely out of his reach. The sun continued to beat down on him. Time ticked away. His chest hurt.

“Help!”

He jerked toward the sound and leapt from the stand. Charging into the lake, he swam with sure strokes to the teenager who slipped beneath the surface. He grabbed her and pulled her above the water. She clutched his arm, and he hauled her into the shore in seconds. When he tried to lay her on the beach, she clung to him and giggled, and it only took a few seconds to realize she’d never been in trouble at all.

“Thanks for saving me, Peeta. You’re so cute,” she tittered and scrambled across the beach to rejoin her friends.

Livid, he took two steps after her before he felt a soft touch on his wrist. The anger drained from him, and he turned to face Katniss.

“She’s just a girl,” she said softly and released his arm.

Peeta stalked back to the chair and grabbed his radio. Depressing the button, he barked, “Finn, please report to the beach. Immediately.”

“Negative, Ghost Rider. The pattern is full.”

“I’m not joking,” he snapped. “Now!”

“Be right there. Over and out.”

“Something got you hot under the collar, Bread Boy?” Peeta turned at Johanna Mason’s throaty chuckle and tried to hold his temper in check.

“I’m fine, Ms. Mason. Sorry for the disturbance.”

She peeked over her sunglasses and raked her eyes up and down his frame. “That’s quite all right. I enjoyed the show. You know I always love having something pretty to watch.”

“Lifeguarding isn’t a game. I’m not an attraction.”

“No,” she agreed, “but you are very, very attractive.”

“Ain’t that the truth?” Finnick chortled as he appeared on the beach. “Mellark’s a total hottie. All the ladies love him.”

Katniss, who was a few steps behind Johanna, froze at Finnick’s words. He could see her struggle to keep her face blank, but her eyes were full of hurt. Peeta silently cursed his friend and Jo for causing Katniss pain—especially when he wanted no one else but her.

“I think maybe one particular lady likes him a little bit more than others. Don’t you, Finnick? Lord, I forget how pretty you are, too, until you’re standing in front of me,” Johanna joked. “If you weren’t head over heels for your Annie, I’d have latched onto you and never let go.”

Peeta lost his patience with the conversation at that point and pointedly excused Jo from the conversation by filling Finn in briefly. When Finnick was briefed, Peeta stomped to the beach house where he filed a report about the false alarm. He didn’t usually bother documenting something so stupidly juvenile, but there’d been too many people on the beach to risk his boss finding out about the situation and not having a paper trail. Besides, he needed some time to cool down. He was too angry to concentrate on anything other than his frustration.

Twenty minutes later, he returned to his post, but Finnick waved him off. “I’ve got this,” he insisted. “It’s only another thirty minutes.”

“You sure?”

“Cabin 12 might need some service. You should take care of that.”

Peeta’s throat closed, and he nodded his thanks. He turned firmly on his heel and headed to the District. Somehow, knowing Katniss would be waiting for him did more to calm him than anything else could.

* * *

Katniss saw him coming but waited for him to knock before opening the door. The cabin was dark in the waning afternoon sunlight that filtered through the trees, and she’d intentionally kept the lights off when she returned. She hadn’t been sure he’d find his way to her today, but she was gratified that he had. When he rapped quietly on the doorframe, she drew him inside and stared at him. She’d never seen him lose his temper the way he had on the beach, except for maybe their initial meeting. It was uncharacteristic of him.

“I’m sorry,” he mumbled and tugged her into his chest. His arms wrapped around her and his mouth was on her temple. When he kissed her, he sighed like he was starving and she was the first nourishment he’d had in weeks.

“You don’t have to apologize to me,” she said. “I’m not offended by you having a bad day.”

She felt his smile, and it warmed her heart. She loved that he rarely held onto his anger more than a few minutes.

“I’m having a hard time,” he admitted.

She pulled back to study him and noticed how drawn and tired he looked. His sunny disposition seemed clouded and dimmed. Had she missed this for a while, or was his sadness something new?

“Talk to me,” she suggested and led him over to the couch where they’d spent so much time together over the course of the past three months. It seemed like yesterday when she’d pulled into Panem Resort and wanted to turn tail and run. Instead, she’d had a glorious summer. It sounded cheesy, but she’d rediscovered herself during her time in Cabin 12. She’d be sad about leaving the resort on Labor Day, but she’d miss the people she’d met more. Johanna, Finnick, Annie, Darius, and Peeta. Especially Peeta who she’d come to admire and care for, maybe even love, if she allowed herself to admit it.

And that scared her more than she could handle. She wasn’t the type that fell in love, and she certainly wasn’t the kind who fell in love with someone who might actually feel the same way. This couldn’t be the case, not with Peeta who was so good-looking and charming and kind and talented and much too young. With the summer winding down, she was running out of time to ignore the problem. It was looming in a way she didn’t want to address.

What was going to happen to them once she left Panem? Would they remain in touch? Did she want to? Would he? Or was all of what was between them merely a summer hookup between two equally emotionally damaged people who found themselves alone in a cabin for extended periods of time?

Katniss realized she’d been lost in thought for several moments. Shaking her head, she concentrated on him, waiting for him to tell her what had caused his rotten mood and irritability.

“Talk to me,” she repeated and stroked his cheek with the pad of her thumb. He shook his head and leaned into her touch.

“I don’t think I can right now. I don’t have the words.”

“You always have the words,” she argued and raised onto her tiptoes to kiss him lightly on the lips.

“Not right now.” He cupped her jaw and pulled her face to his. Carefully, gently, possessively, he brushed his mouth over hers. His eyes drifted shut, and he groaned deep in the back of his throat. “I need you. Please.”

Katniss released an elongated sigh that rippled through her. Her shoulders relaxed, and the roiling in her stomach eased. She took a step back, grabbed his hand, and led him into her bedroom. She expected him to be rough, driven by desperation and residual anger, but he surprised her. Instead, his hands slowly unbraided her hair, and his lips and tongue traced the cords of her neck until she was a panting mess against him.

“You’re so unbelievably beautiful,” he murmured in her ear as his fingers carded through her hair. “I don’t know what I ever did to deserve sleeping with a goddess, but you are more amazing than…” He trailed into silence, but she was flying so high already she didn’t even notice.

Her robe fell from her shoulders and to a puddle at her feet. His hands traced her body, still warm from the sun she’d bathed in on the beach. His palms grazed over her bare skin, and goosebumps followed the patterns his hands made, burning his touch into her and branding her as his.

His mouth moved over hers, languid and unhurried, his tongue probing and tasting in such a way that only made her want more. No matter how much of him he gave her, she wanted something extra. She was insatiable for him.

His shirt came off next, both of them working together to bare his chest. She kissed from one pectoral to the other, tracing her tongue lightly until he shuddered and grunted for her to stop. His skin was hot against her, his hands imprinting into her skin, her hair caressing her shoulders, his frame swallowing hers.

She didn’t notice her bikini top coming undone or the bottoms sliding down her legs. She hardly opened her eyes when he picked her up and placed her gently on the bed or when he moved over her to settle his body onto hers. She registered how thick and hard he was against her thigh, but she’d moved past thinking to only feeling.

“Sweetheart,” he whispered, and her toes curled. He rarely called her anything in bed, and this was the most endearing name he’d called her all summer. “God, yessssss…”

Her eyes rolled back in her head as he slid into her. He bucked into her roughly a few times, but his strokes turned leisurely almost immediately. He gathered her legs to drape over his hips before rolling them over so he was on his back and gazing up at her. She tried to focus, but he was huge inside her, and she was impaled on him as she hovered, gasping for breath and trying to remember her name.

“Move,” she begged, and his forehead furrowed. “Please, please, please, please.”

“You’re on top,” he told her gruffly. “You can set—” His voice broke into a high-pitched grunt when she undulated her hips and began to ride him. She kissed him as she moved, her tongue inside his mouth, his cock deep in her pussy. She wanted to fuck him forever.

And that also scared the shit out of her. She’d been doing pretty well convincing herself she could get by on her own once the summer ended, but the days kept passing and Labor Day loomed as more than just a distant date on the horizon. Only a few more weeks until she went back to her life, her city, her state, and none of them were close to where Peeta would be after he hung up his apron and paintbrush and life preserver and the other million things he used to be an all-around star employee at Panem Resorts.

Katniss knew she was being ridiculous. Her body was in bed with him, naked and writhing and sweaty and heated and filthy, but her mind was three weeks in the future. She allowed a fantasy to unwind that quickened her pace. Instead of leaving the resort alone, Peeta added his suitcase to the stack of her own and left with her. He didn’t go back to school; instead, he moved in with her. She went to work and came home to him, baking and happy and sketching in her apartment. He’d smile when she walked in the door, and they’d spend the evenings and nights in bed exploring each other and shutting out the noise of the world. The age gap wouldn’t matter. Nothing would except them being together.

She rode him for several long minutes as that vision whirled in her head. Each time she bucked against him, her happily ever after faded until she came back to herself in the moment—fucking her younger summer fling in her cabin at Panem. Peeta, who was incredibly sexy and attentive and brushing her clit with his hard pelvis with every sweep of her hips against his. It wasn’t long before she was fully present and trembling atop him, and he ducked his head to pull her nipple into his mouth. She lost rhythm then, and her thrusts turned frantic. She just needed a little something to fly over the edge. She was so close. So close, and she wanted—

“Peeta?” she asked, panic rising in the back of her throat.

“It’s okay, sweetheart. I’m here.”

“Oh, fuck. Peeta?! Peeta!”

He heard her alarm and cuddled her body closer to his. He whispered intimate, familiar, comforting promises she knew he couldn’t keep into the shell of her ear.

“Come on. Let me make you feel good,” he begged as his mouth laved her throat.

The combination of his hands and words and touch and scent and everything he was pushed her over the edge. Her body snapped, and she chased stars through the night sky while unicorns danced in the shadows. She was sticky, covered in sweat and so very tender as she hunted her orgasm through the twisting hallways. Somewhere it was hiding, and she needed it so badly. The sound of their bodies slapping together and the smell of sunscreen and hot skin and the sight of his face washed in hope and longing and the touch of his hard muscles and the taste of salt on his neck as she pulsed and writhed and panted his name…

“I’m gonna come, sweetheart,” he warned, but she didn’t even hear. As his cock throbbed, she screamed his name. All she felt before she fell apart was the way he protected her from everything but them.

* * *

“What happened to you this afternoon? I thought we were supposed to meet after your shift.”

Finnick hugged his fiancée and gave an overexaggerated sigh. “Peeta happened.”

Laughing, Annie shook her head. “He’s a mess. A total mess.”

“Completely.”

“What happened this time?”

“One of the teenagers decided to try to get his attention. He was on the stand, and she pretended to drown. He wasn’t very happy.”

“And that’s worth me missing out on time with you?” Annie asked. “That’s been a fairly normal occurrence over the past few years. The girls always love him.”

“All the girls except you,” Finnick said pointedly.

“No, of course not me,” she feigned. “Why would I ever want someone as common looking as Peeta when I could have a water god like you?”

“And don’t you forget it,” he teased and kissed her soundly.

“Just know that if you ever leave me, Peeta’s my first call.”

“I hate that man.”

“You love him,” she insisted, and he nodded. “Now, explain why a teenager trying to entice him made Peeta lose his mind.”

“Cabin 12 was there.”

“Katniss saw it happen?” When Finnick nodded, Annie asked, “And she was upset about it?”

“I don’t think so. I wasn’t there yet. He called me in, but my guess is that he was already distracted by her being there. She was in a bikini, and I’m gonna guess that he was daydreaming and feeling guilty and then the girl pulled her stunt, and Peeta lost his cool. It’s not really about the fake drowning. Peeta’s ethics have been warring with his heart all summer, and he’s crumbling.”

Annie snuggled into his chest and relaxed against there for a minute as she pondered the situation. Peeta and Katniss had spent a lot of time together this summer, but they’d done a pretty good job of hiding their affair. She wondered if they’d talked about what would happen once they left Panem for the season—if either of them were willing to admit they were in love with the other. Peeta’s kindness and compassion was consummate, but he was stubborn as a mule, and Katniss hid behind walls that measured several feet thick.

“There’s gonna be a problem, isn’t there?” she asked. “Do you think there’s anything we can do to help soften the blow?”

“I don’t think there’s anything we can do that’s going to ease how much it hurts to say goodbye, and do you really think either of those two knuckleheads will buck up the courage to admit how they feel about the other in the next few weeks?”

“Hey, Finnick?”

“Yes, darling Annie?”

“I love you.”

He ducked his head and covered her mouth with his. Gentle kisses turned fervent quickly, and he broke away to reply, “I love you, too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're getting so close to the end! Thank you to all of you who've been reading and supporting and commenting. It's so appreciated. Now that I'm back from my trip and care taking a relative, I'm trying to catch up. If you've commented, I'll be responding as soon as I can. Love y'all! Thanks again for following along on this journey.


	16. Toasted

The morning would come too soon for both of them, so they made the most of the night. After the drama of the day before and the passion that followed the fake drowning debacle, neither of them were ready to face anything outside of the cabin.

Katniss cuddled into Peeta’s bare chest and kissed the crease between his pectoral muscles. When he hummed, she licked a trail down his torso to mouth at his abs. She felt him harden against her shoulder and slithered down further until she was situated between his legs.

“Oh, fuck,” he hissed as she nosed at the dark blonde thatch of hair between his legs and nudged him until he was hard and straining against her cheek. Inhaling deeply, she breathed in his musky scent and licked a trail from the base of his cock to the head. Broken moans and pleas fell from him as she worked him over, unrelenting and determined to help him start the day with a very pleasurable experience.

When she could tell he was about to lose it, she popped off and buried her face underneath him. He yelped and jerked, but she persisted. Cradling his balls in one hand and licking behind them, she licked deeper and deeper until he came apart. The noise that ripped from him made her entire body shiver, and she felt him twitching as his fingers tangled in her hair. Dazed, she lifted her head and broke into a pleased smile when she saw white, sticky stripes painted on his chest.

“Fuck me,” he panted. His pupils were blown wide, and he was flushed pink from his ears all the way down to where he rapidly softened. “I—”

“You’ve got a little something on your chin,” she teased and swiped a blob of his come with her finger. Feeling particularly brazen, she sucked it into her mouth and grinned at him.

“Come here,” he growled and hauled her up to his face so that he could slant his mouth against hers. Her chest slid against his, and she moaned at the feel of the warm, sticky moisture greasing their skin.

They necked for a long time, longer than they should have when he had an early shift. When she fell completely limp against him, he flipped her over and returned the favor. He ate her out with a fervor he’d never displayed before, and he recovered in record time. After another round, she collapsed against her mattress, spent and sated and unable to speak. She drifted back to sleep as he placed butterfly kisses against her shoulder blade.

The smell of coffee and the sizzle of bacon frying woke her a couple of hours later. She felt absolutely disgusting, covered in bodily fluids and other things she wasn’t sure she wanted to name. She stumbled to the bathroom and showered. Feeling almost human, she toweled off and wrapped her robe around herself before making her way into the kitchen and joining Peeta at the breakfast bar.

“Morning,” he said in a husky voice and kissed her quickly while pressing a cup of coffee into her hand.

She hummed her approval and sipped the hot liquid, allowing the caffeine to root in her brain and chase out the fuzziness that still lingered.

“I need to head out pretty soon.”

She nodded at him, unwilling to say anything that might break the spell that kept them insulated from the real world. As wonderful as the past several hours had been, she couldn’t shake the nagging feeling that something loomed on the horizon. They only had a couple of weeks until Labor Day and Panem closed for the season, and they still hadn’t talked about what would come next.

She wasn’t thinking very clearly, so she followed him to the door and stepped out onto the front porch with him. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she slotted her mouth to his and kissed him thoroughly. His tongue rubbed against hers, and he cupped her ass and tugged her tighter against him as the sun peeked through the mist that hung low over the trees.

“You make it so hard to leave,” he murmured. When she snickered, he narrowed his eyes at her.

With a naughty grin, she teased, “I think I just make you so hard.”

“Terrible woman. Don’t know why I like you.”

She kissed him one more time before she let go. He walked down the path and ducked into the trees to make his way back to his cabin without anyone seeing him. Too wired to go back to sleep, she dressed in leggings and a tank top and tightened the laces on her tennis shoes. Instead of tucking her hair into her signature braid, she pulled it back into a ponytail and headed out for a run. With any luck, her sister would join her and help make sense of her complicated situation.

* * *

They’d gotten too comfortable. That was the only explanation for why Clove and Cato waited for him at the tree line just out of sight of Cabin 12.

“Well, well, well,” Cato sneered. “Peeta’s got himself a tribute for the summer. Shiny, perfect golden boy screwing a guest.”

Peeta’s hands clenched while his heart sank. He couldn’t even blame the situation on bad luck. He’d gotten careless, cocky, and little too big for his own britches. Worse than that, his sloppiness was going to end up hurting Katniss because there was no way his two co-workers were going to keep their mouth shut about him kissing her in plain sight on her porch.

Clove looked at him in disgust and tucked into Cato’s shoulder. “Holier than thou is what he’s been for years. Too good to date one of us and preaching about keeping our hands to ourselves. And now…”

“Now he’s bagged a cougar and is fucking her in her cabin.”

Peeta sucked in a breath and held it for a beat so he wouldn’t explode. “You need to shut up. I’m not going to ask again.”

“You don’t seem to have a whole lot of leverage here, buddy,” Cato scoffed. “In fact, I think it’s about time I checked in with my friend Haymitch Abernathy about my co-workers. I mean, someone’s got to be employee of the year, and I have some information that might just sway Panem’s decision this time.”

Peeta wanted to argue, to try to find some way to convince the two of them that they should keep their knowledge about his affair with Katniss private, but he knew it wouldn’t do any good. He was as good as fired. Refusing to engage further, he kept his gait steady and his head high as he made his way back to the staff cabins.

Finnick tried to engage him, but Peeta refused to speak. Instead, he changed into his uniform and headed to the kitchen where he started in on the day’s baked goods. No matter what happened, he always found solace with yeast and flour and sugar. The familiar actions calmed him, and he tried not to think about how his parents would react to him being caught breaking the rules and being unceremoniously dismissed from a job he’d loved for so many years.

Croissants and pain au chocolat, bear claws and cinnamon rolls, crullers and eclairs. One after the other, he mixed the dough and put pans in the oven. He didn’t think. He didn’t panic. He did nothing but bake until finally he turned and Haymitch stood at the door observing him.

“When you’re done with your shift, I need you to come to my office,” he said calmly.

Peeta nodded and watched as the older man turned on his heel and left him alone. The rest of the kitchen staff bustled behind him, but the baking area was quiet and semi-private. He was safe as long as he stayed in his sanctuary.

An hour later, his hands trembled as he removed the last batch of cookies from the oven and set them on the counter to cool. Because he wasn’t sure if he’d have a chance to say goodbye to Katniss or not, he put together a basket for her and wrote a short note explaining what he assumed was going to happen. He considered adding his cell number after his signature, but she’d never asked for it, and he had no idea what her intentions were after Labor Day. Maybe he was taking the coward’s way out, but he simply couldn’t risk the rejection if he gave her a way to contact him and she didn’t.

He dialed the front desk. When Annie answered, he asked if she could arrange for a delivery to Cabin 12. She tried to ask him what was wrong, but he refused to answer. Darius picked up the basket a few minutes later, and he hastily wiped down the countertops and made sure everything was in its proper place before slipping out the back door. He didn’t want to talk to anyone on the way to his doom. He knew what was coming. Prolonging it wasn’t going to make the outcome any different.

As he walked, he tried to stay calm. More than anything, he tried to remember how much Katniss meant to him, how right he felt inside her, how his time with her this summer had been a balm that healed him more than anything had in the seven years since he’d lost his family. He was going to lose his job. It sucked, and it wasn’t fair, but he wouldn’t trade one second with Katniss to avoid the conversation he was about to have. Knowing there wasn’t another option, he knocked on the door.

“Come in,” Haymitch called. Peeta entered the room and sank into the chair his boss indicated. “How are you, son?”

“I’ve been better,” he admitted.

Haymitch nodded and steepled his fingers under his chin. Reaching into his desk drawer, he pulled a flask out and unscrewed it. Without preamble, he took a swig and offered it to Peeta.

“I had a visit from Cato and Clove this morning,” Haymitch said with a nonchalant shrug. “I imagine I like those two about as well as anyone else who works here does, which is to say not a lot, but they did have some very interesting information about a certain guest and an employee who had a run in with her earlier this summer. Care to take a guess?”

“Who knows what those two told you? We aren’t exactly on friendly terms,” Peeta said, his calm tone belying the turmoil raging inside him.

“No, I don’t suppose you are, especially not after your encounter with them this morning.”

“Mr. Abernathy, I don’t—”

“Haymitch, son. We’ve known each other for years,” he said impatiently. “Peeta, you’ve been an exemplary employee for seven years. I’ve trusted you with responsibilities no one else has received. What on earth possessed you to break the Code of Conduct in such a flagrant way?”

Peeta stayed silent. There wasn’t anything to say, and he certainly wasn’t going to tell his boss what he hadn’t been able to admit to himself. Because he was in love with Katniss Everdeen. He had no idea if he’d felt this way for weeks or hours, but the feelings were as sure as the agony he’d felt when his family had died. The last thing Haymitch wanted to hear was that a misplaced love was behind his actions.

“I know employees fraternize with the guests. I’m not an idiot. And yes, it’s hypocritical to call you in here for something that other people have done and some of our guests expect,” Haymitch admitted. “I’ve looked the other way all summer when rumors first emerged that you were too familiar with the guest in Cabin 12, but I can’t anymore.”

“And why’s that?”

“Because Cato and Clove didn’t just report what happened to me. It’s already gone up the chain. Heavensbee knows, and Snow will within the hour. It’s out of my hands now.”

Peeta swore and felt the last slivers of hope evaporate. Not only was he going to lose his job, but there was no longer any hope of being eligible for the scholarship he’d been counting on to help get him through his last year of grad school. All those years of hard work and dedication, of honing his skills and being respectful and considerate to every guest and almost all his co-workers, all of them lost because he fell in love with the woman in Cabin 12.

He tried to temper his disappointment, but Haymitch saw right through him. “I’m sorry. I really am,” his boss—former boss—said as Peeta’s world crumbled around him. “I’d like to see you finish out the summer, but Snow will have my head if you aren’t gone by tomorrow.”

“I don’t have anywhere to go right now,” he admitted in a whisper.

His apartment was sublet until Labor Day, and the few belongings he owned were stashed in a storage unit until he went back to college. Except now, he didn’t even know if he could afford it, especially with the loss of income for the next few weeks and the certainty that he’d have to dip into his savings for living expenses while he figured out what to do.

“I’ve got a friend in Raleigh. NC State, right?” Peeta nodded miserably. He was part of the Wolfpack, at least until he failed to make his tuition payment for the fall semester. “She’s got a restaurant downtown. Always needs help. I bet she could use someone who bakes. She makes killer soup, but her rolls could double as bricks. Here’s her contact information. Look her up.”

“Thanks. I appreciate it.”

“You deserve better, Peeta. I’m sorry. I really am.”

Peeta didn’t bother to respond. Numb and terrified he’d lose it if he didn’t escape immediately, he nodded at Haymitch and made his way to his cabin. He packed his clothes and other belongings in his duffel, slapped a cap on, and hid his red-rimmed eyes behind sunglasses. He’d planned to ride with Finnick when the summer ended, so he had no other choice but to begin the long walk to town where he’d catch a bus back to the state capital. Maybe he could call his friend Delly and she’d let him crash on her couch for a few nights.

He considered saying goodbye to Katniss before he left, but the pain was too fresh and raw. He’d never been good enough for her, so the thought of appearing before her broken and humiliated was too much to bear. With one last glance at the resort that had been his refuge for the last several years and provided a home and family after he’d lost his, he squared his shoulders and walked out the gate. It took everything he had not to look back one more time.

* * *

“What the hell happened, Annie?” Finnick barked as he tore across the lobby. “Where’s Peeta?”

His fiancée raised her hands, unable to process what she’d just heard. The only reason she hadn’t collapsed into tears at the unfairness of it all was because she had to keep a brave face in place to do her job. She couldn’t risk getting let go, too.

“I don’t know, Finn,” she admitted, her voice wrecked with sorrow. “He’s gone. That’s all I know.”

“When? How long’s he been gone?”

“A few hours, maybe? He arranged a delivery just before his shift ended. I should have known something was wrong when he wanted someone else to take the basket to Katniss. Oh, hell. Do you think she knows he’s been fired?” Annie’s lip trembled at the thought of their guest waiting for Peeta when he wouldn’t be dropping by anymore.

“You have a break soon?”

She nodded. “I can take it now if you want to go see her.”

Leaving the desk under the care of a co-worker, she and Finnick left the lodge and headed along the path to the District where they hoped to find Katniss. They hadn’t gone very far when they ran into Clove, who sported a smug look that made Annie want to smack her across the face.

“It’s just too bad about Peeta, isn’t it?” she crowed. “Caught coming out of a guest’s cabin after a night together, kissing in plain sight of anyone who happened to be walking by at the time. And Cato and I were just innocently out for an early morning walk and discussing strategy for improving turnover time in the dining room.”

“Walk away, Clove,” Finnick muttered, low and angry. He hadn’t hit a woman in his life, but his hands twitched dangerously.

“How could you?” Annie asked, tears evident in her voice. “Peeta’s been through so much already and is one of the kindest people I’ve ever met. Why would you want to hurt him of all people? Because he rejected you? Are you really that petty?”

“Oh, grow up, Annie. He deserved everything he got.”

Finnick twitched, and Annie wrapped her arm around his waist and hand around his wrist to keep him from chasing Clove when she stalked down the path.

“Easy, Finn. Two more weeks of the season. That’s all there is, and we still need to tell Katniss what’s happened.”

Grounding himself, he held his breath and allowed her to pull him down the path, their fingers intertwined and their hearts broken for their friend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so close to catching up on comments. Again, thank y'all for reading and your feedback. I am so appreciative. I'll be hiding in my corner after this chapter.


	17. Home Sweet Home

“Feel free to come in late tomorrow, Katniss,” her boss said as she packed up her bag and prepared to leave for the evening. “You’ve been working ten-hour days for the past two weeks. I know you’re trying to impress us, but you don’t have to prove your worth all at once.”

Katniss smiled absently as she tucked her phone into her purse and tugged the strap onto her shoulder. “Wouldn’t want you to regret taking a chance on me,” she replied with a shrug. “I’ll see you in the morning.”

If she had her way, she wouldn’t be leaving the lab at all. Instead, she’d bury herself in her work, scouring through data from the samples she’d gathered over her summer. Before she could fall into a spiral, she shifted her thoughts away from where she’d gathered the information and concentrated on the way what she’d collected could be used to rethink the way trees used water and potentially impact water usage statistics around the world. She had a long way to go before a major breakthrough, but she was hopeful.

Tired and dreading the thought of returning to her empty apartment, Katniss drove to a diner she’d come to really appreciate since moving to Raleigh and parked in the small parking lot. Sae’s Diner had become a sanctuary for her over the past few weeks as she tried to mend her broken heart and put her life back together. Sae, the older woman who ran the diner, smiled kindly at her as she walked in and nodded to her regular table in the back corner.

“I’ll be there to take your order in just a second,” she called and turned to ring up another patron before making her way over to Katniss.

“Hey,” Katniss sighed. “What’s your special today? Anything to tempt me from my usual?”

Sae’s eyes sparkled kindly as she answered, “You’re in luck. My special lamb stew with a cheese bun that’s to die for. I highly recommend checking it out. I don’t get to offer it too often. Lamb’s hard to get at a decent price.”

“Sounds great,” she confirmed and handed over the menu. She pulled out a stack of papers to review while she waited on her order. When it appeared in front of her, she dug in without tearing her attention away from her work. The stew was good, and the bun… The bun tasted familiar. Really familiar. It almost reminded her of—

“Sae, I’m having trouble finding some of the stuff on this inventory sheet.” The achingly familiar voice boomed from behind the swinging doors of the kitchen, and Katniss watched as broad shoulders topped by a head of ashy blonde curls emerged from the back and shoved a clipboard underneath the owner’s nose.

She couldn’t breathe. Peeta Mellark stood in the diner, not fifteen feet from her. After weeks with no word and only an alarming semi-explanation from Finnick and Annie that left more questions than answers, the man who’d filled her thoughts for too long and her bed for much too short a time was within reach.

She didn’t think. In fact, she didn’t even bother to consider the consequences before she shot out of her seat and paced toward him. “Peeta?”

He froze at the sound of her voice, and she waited an agonizing moment before he raised his eyes to hers. They were bluer than she recalled. His jawline seemed more prominent. Everything about him was a little bit more than she had imagined as she tried to forget him but longed to remember.

“What are you doing here? I mean…how? Katniss,” he asked in wonder as he crossed to her in three strides and dragged her to him. “How are you here? Tell me this is real.”

She breathed him in, the scent taking her back to hot summer days instead of the early autumn breezes that had blown into Raleigh the night before. Tears pricked at the corners of her eyes, and her heart hammered in her chest.

“It’s real, Peeta. I’m here.”

And then his mouth was on hers, hot and demanding, searching for acceptance and understanding, desperate for her reassurance, frantic and impatient. It was as if they’d never been separated. His body fit tightly against hers, and she whimpered into his mouth. Her fingers tangled in his hair and tugged him tighter to her. She wanted to swallow him whole at the same time she needed an account of his choice to abandon her.

“I thought I’d lost you. I thought I’d never see you again.”

She could have gotten lost in him if Sae hadn’t cleared her throat. Katniss broke away from him and glanced around at the customers who were staring. Flushing a deep red, she stammered an apology and stumbled back to her table where she sank down in the booth to hide herself as much as possible. He followed and sat across from her. When she didn’t reach for him, he wrapped his hand around hers.

“Why are you in Raleigh? How did you find me? Katniss, I’m—”

“Why did you leave without talking to me?” she blurted. He flinched at the anger in her tone, and she realized she was madder than she’d thought. “What the hell were you thinking? What _happened_ to you? Nobody knew anything for sure, and I had to find out some…some…bullshit from your friends while I sat there like an afterthought.”

“I’m so sorry—”

“Don’t you tell me you’re sorry,” she spat at him. “You should have known better. You, of all people who’ve dealt with abandonment and loss and everything that hurts, shouldn’t have left me there. Not without more than a fucking basket of bread and a note saying I matter to you. You. Absolute. Jackass.” A grin spread across his face, and she fumed from across the table. “Don’t you dare laugh at me. Don’t you dare.”

Peeta grabbed at her hand when she ripped it from him, but she was too worked up to sit there while he questioned her instead of explaining himself. He had no right to doubt her motivations or her actions. He’d given up that right when he’d fled.

“Katniss, please,” he pled. “I should have talked to you before I left, but I wasn’t thinking straight. I got fired. I lost my job. I lost my anchor. I got set up by my co-workers and lost a fellowship that would have paid for my last semester of grad school. I was reeling, and the only thing I could think of was that my involvement with you was what Clove used to ruin my life.”

Hot tears spilled down her cheeks as her heart broke for the millionth time since that day at Panem. She’d suspected it then, but now he’d confirmed that she was the poison that had ruined everything.

“Don’t cry,” he begged. “Please don’t cry, sweetheart. I knew as soon as I was back here that I’d done everything wrong, but I couldn’t call once I’d left. It was too risky for me to pursue you when the president of the company gave the order for my dismissal. I was afraid of disciplinary action if I reached out to you. I didn’t even talk to Finnick until after Labor Day. I couldn’t chance it.”

“I don’t believe you. Johanna and Darius… She kept telling me everyone did it. Why were we any different?” She tried to shake the hurt that had taken root deep inside, but it still didn’t make sense.

“I don’t know. I don’t know why Cato and Clove had it out for me. I don’t have any idea what it was that made me their target, but it’s what happened. It’s not fair, and it sucks, but it’s true.”

She wanted to believe him. She really did, but how could she when he’d hurt her so badly? After all the misery and torture she’d put herself through before deciding to take a chance, his betrayal hurt that much worse. Peeta searched her face, his eyes kind but intensely concerned. He seemed genuine and honest, but her aching heart was just starting to heal. She was terrified to open it up to potential pain again.

“Please,” he said quietly. “I can’t lose you again. I can’t.”

Katniss hunched her soldiers at the agony in his voice. Her eyes glossed over, and she couldn’t breathe. She grabbed her wallet and pulled out a twenty. Dropping it on the table, she sobbed, “I have to go. I’m sorry.”

She didn’t have the heart to look at him when she left.

* * *

“Why don’t you take the rest of the night off?” Sae offered gently. “We can finish the inventory tomorrow.”

Peeta still sat in the booth, unwilling to move and equally unable to believe what had just happened. He’d been so hopeless his last day at Panem. He couldn’t imagine a way in which he could lose his job, prospects, and financial stability and still expect an accomplished, successful, amazing woman who was eight years his senior with an advanced degree to see him as a potential partner. At the time, it made perfect sense in his head to run, to leave without giving her the opportunity to reject him, or, worse, to tell him to stay. He could live a hundred lifetimes and not be worthy of her love. He’d left to spare her.

The weeks since he’d been released had been pure hell. With no scholarship and the loss of almost a month of income, Peeta’d solicited help from his childhood friend Delly who’d graciously let him sleep on her couch and move his belongings from storage into her garage so he didn’t have to pay for a storage unit. He’d followed his ex-boss’ advice and called Sae for a job. Thankfully, she’d hired him right away, but the gap in pay hurt him right when his tuition payments were due. For two days, he’d eyed his bank account with the balance holding steady at $4.58 and eaten nothing but the cheapest off brand of white bread and scrambled eggs because they’d been on sale for 89 cents for a dozen.

He still had nothing to offer her. Nothing that should convince any woman with self-respect to give him a second chance after he’d broken her heart. There was no logical reason for her to take him back, so there was no sense in fighting for her.

Except that he loved her. Every part of him ached without her. Seconds felt like hours without her, and his heart shattered every time he thought of her.

“I haven’t known you very long, dear, but I know this about you. You love that woman,” she said as the right side of her mouth quirked into a grin. “It’s written in every fiber of your being. Take a chance. What’s the worst that can happen?”

A sudden moment of clarity flashed through him. He already knew.

He could lose his home and family to a fire. He could watch his family’s business go up in smoke and take both the people he cared about and his long-term goals with it. He could close himself off from everyone and be a model employee but a lonely person. He could beat himself up for weeks and finally bend a rule and lose his job and a financial award that would have changed his life for the better. He could find the love of his life again only to watch her vanish a few minutes later with tears streaking her face.

Pressing a quick kiss to Sae’s cheek, Peeta shot to his feet and bolted toward the diner doors, desperate to find Katniss and make her listen. And then he’d find out why the hell she was in Raleigh instead of back in Morgantown where she belonged.

“No, she belongs here with me,” he muttered, insistent and frantic. He had no idea where she lived, and he couldn’t take the risk that she’d return to the diner now that she knew he worked there. “Sae, I have to go.”

“Go, darling. Go!”

Peeta burst from the building and onto the sidewalk in seconds. He twisted his head from side to side so quickly, he made himself dizzy, but he glimpsed her car as it sped down the street. Yelling her name, he sprinted after her. Logically, he knew he wouldn’t catch an automobile while on foot, but he couldn’t just let her go. His lungs felt like they would burst when her brake lights lit up, and the car rolled to a stop. Sending a silent prayer of thanks into the world, he pumped his legs faster. He had to reach her before the traffic light turned green, and she disappeared again.

“Katniss!” he shouted as he pounded on her car window. “Katniss, please! I have to talk to you. Please let me explain. Please don’t go.”

His heart broke at the anguish on her face, but he refused to give up this time. She deserved to know how he felt and how sorry he was for hurting her. He stood with his hands pressed to her window until she finally turned to him and cracked the window. When she spoke, there was no emotion.

“You have until the light turns to convince me.” Just then the light flashed green, and she said, “Too late.”

She started to accelerate, but he leapt in front of her car. With hands raised in surrender, he refused to move for several heart attack-inducing moments.

“I’m tired, and I’m going home,” she insisted.

“Let me come with you. You drive; I’ll talk. If you still want me to leave by the time you get to Morgantown, I’ll leave you alone.”

“I don’t live there anymore,” she hissed. “I moved here, asshole.”

“Wait. What?” Confused and half out of his mind, he tried to make sense of what he was saying, but he didn’t have time to figure it all out until she agreed to talk to him. When she just glared instead of answering, he said, “I’m begging you.”

A car pulled behind hers and honked, and Peeta knew he had a chance. Carefully, he slid to the passenger’s side and slipped into the car seat. He barely had time to grab the seat belt before she hit the gas and they careened down the street. Terrified they’d reach her destination before he had a chance to begin, he started talking as fast as he possibly could.

“I can apologize for a million years, but it’ll never excuse what I did to you. I’m sorry. I really am, and I know I screwed up. I know I was a coward and an asshole, and it’s not okay. I won’t ever do that to you again. I promise. I should have talked to you before I left Panem, but I’d just been fired because co-workers went over my boss’ head and reported me to the resort manager who told the head of PR who then sent it up to Snow, the president of Panem Resorts. I had to leave immediately. After seven years working there and being a model employee and being all but promised a company scholarship for my last year in grad school, Haymitch had to let me go. I didn’t have a place to stay or a way to get back to Raleigh or a paycheck for the rest of the summer. How could I expect you to be okay with any of that?”

Peeta paused to suck in a deep breath. She pulled into a parking garage, and he panicked. When she didn’t answer, he admitted, “I have nothing to offer you, but I still want to give you everything I have. It’s not enough. It never will be, but I love you. I love you so much, Katniss, and I’m so, so sorry.”

Silence greeted his declaration, and his heart broke and sank simultaneously. He regretted every decision he’d made that awful, shitty, horrible day, and now he’d lost her all over again.

“What did you say?”

He barely heard her over the rushing in his ears, and it took a few seconds for her question to process. When it did, he repeated vehemently, “I love you. I’m in love with you, and it broke me to leave you. Please give me another chance.”

She turned her smoky gray eyes to him and shook her head. “No. You have to let me go.”

Tears gathered in his eyes and slid down his cheeks. A sob caught in his chest, and his face went numb.

“I can’t.”

“You have to,” she said dispassionately. “Get out of my car.”

“Please…”

She didn’t say anything. He watched as she exited the car and walked into the building. He couldn’t believe he’d just experienced the worst day of his life for a second time.

* * *

“Hey, man,” Finnick said into the phone. “I got your message.”

“Yeah. Figured you’d want to know,” Peeta responded dully.

Finnick shook his head at Annie and hit the speaker button so she could hear. “I’m sorry, Peet. We’ve been rooting for you—both of you. It sucks that things aren’t gonna work out.”

“Can’t say that I blame her. What do I have to offer her anyway?”

“Don’t say that,” Annie urged gently. “You deserve all the good things.”

“Well, I don’t have them, do I?”

Peeta’s bitterness sizzled through the phone. Garbled conversation and muffled noises filled the air as they kept the line open and tried to think of a way to comfort their friend.

“Where are you?” Finnick asked.

“Almost to work. Finishing inventory for the diner today since I bailed on Sae last night to be a complete jackass who chased a woman down the street. Fuck! I would have told my sorry ass no, too.”

His derision tore at Annie’s sensibilities, but neither of them knew what to say. They heard the jangle of a bell and the undeniable sound of a door opening and closing before they heard Peeta suck in a breath.

“Peeta? You still there?”

A beat passed before he gasped, “Oh, shit. She’s here. I’ve gotta go.”

The line went dead, and the couple looked at each other. Finnick sent a text with flying fingers and tossed the phone onto the bed.

Annie grabbed at it and blurted, “What’d you say? Who’s there?”

Finnick sighed and tugged his fiancée onto the bed next to him. “Best guess? I’d say Cabin 12 just might give our boy a second chance.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So close to the end! Thanks again, y'all, for reading this. I'm still working through the comments, and I appreciate every one. <3


	18. So After

“Peeta! The shipment’s here.”

Peeta hurried into the living room and grinned at his girlfriend as she leaned over the large package that had just been delivered to their apartment. Katniss ripped open the box and pulled out a copy of the book they’d spent their first summer creating together at Panem.

A year after she’d searched her heart and realized she didn’t want to live without him, she’d finally realized her dream of publishing a children’s book of plants. It seemed like it’d taken a war to get them to where they were. After he’d graduated from North Carolina State with his master’s, he’d applied to the National Art Gallery, part of the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C., and gotten the job. Katniss, having completed the requirements of her year-long grant from Duke, chose not to return to Morgantown. Instead, she used some of her connections and accepted a position as a guest lecturer at Georgetown University. There was every indication she’d be offered a permanent spot when the academic year ended.

“It’s so exciting!” she squealed, which was highly unlike her. She couldn’t help squirming in her seat as she flipped through the pages. The publishing company had done a terrific job with their work, and he stroked the pages with his long, artistic fingers.

“I’m so proud of you, sweetheart,” he murmured against her temple before kissing a trail along her brow. “It’s gorgeous. Just like you.”

“I bet you say that to all the girls,” she teased and lifted her lips to his.

“You still have no idea the effect you have.”

The words soaked into her skin and infused her with joy and hope. Despite their rocky start, Peeta had proven loyal and trustworthy and incredibly loving. She still woke some nights frozen with anxiety and despair, but he was there to soothe her worry and show her that life could go on. Even better, with him it wasn’t just good again. It was remarkable.

“I love you, you know,” she confessed as she nipped his earlobe.

“I do know that,” he agreed. “Love you, too.”

“You want dinner? We could go to that new place down the street. The Meadow, I think it’s called.”

“If you want. Or we can stay in and order takeout and spend the rest of the day in bed.”

“Sold! We can try that place another night. Maybe tomorrow.”

“Maybe this week.”

“Maybe this month.”

“Maybe this summer,” he suggested.

When he picked her up and carried her to the bedroom, she didn’t protest. If this summer was anything like the last one, she couldn’t wait.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here it is. It's probably not the ending some of you were expecting, but I hope you enjoy it regardless. Love y'all! Thanks for reading and supporting me and this story.

**Author's Note:**

> After many months and several delays, I’m excited to finally share this story with you. Last year, I offered an auction for a 50,000+ word story for @fandomtrumpshate, and @ldyglfr62 won the bid. She gave me free reign to create a mild age gap!Everlark story with Gale as Katniss’ best friend. With a little inspiration from Dirty Dancing and the second season of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, this is the result. The story will post on Tuesdays.
> 
> Big thanks for @ldyglfr62 for bidding and trusting me to create this story (and being patient and gracious as I worked through some personal issues) and @xerxia31 for mad beta skills and turning the nine pictures I sent into this gorgeous graphic.


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